A REPORT into suspended surgeon Kuldeep Stohr has found a “series of missed opportunities” by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) in addressing concerns over her surgeries at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Stohr was suspended in March 2024, initially for personal reasons, amid concerns that some procedures were “below the expected standard”.
The investigation, commissioned by CUH and carried out by Verita, found that if earlier recommendations had been followed, harm to paediatric orthopaedic patients “would have likely been reduced”, BBC reported.
A key missed opportunity was the trust’s failure to act on a 2016 external review by senior paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Robert Hill, which identified shortcomings in Stohr’s surgery.
Hill told investigators: “I regret to conclude... that the trust failed to draw the correct conclusions from my report, made no effort to check with me... and demonstrated little if any insight into the issues confronting them.”
The report said Ms Stohr tried to improve her practice “without the help and support of the trust”.
CUH chief executive Roland Sinker said the trust was “deeply sorry” and accepted the report’s findings “in full”. He added: “This should not have happened... we will work tirelessly to deliver our action plan in full to build a safer and more effective organisation.”
The General Medical Council has imposed restrictions requiring Stohr to be “closely supervised” in all posts. The Care Quality Commission is considering possible regulatory action.
