Most of the patients were children
More than 200 patients were harmed under the care of a now-suspended orthopaedic surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. It comes after she was allowed to continue operating for another eight years after issues in her practice were identified.
Orthopaedic surgeon Kuldeep Stohr worked at Addebrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge before an investigation was launched in March 2024, when colleagues raised concerns over her patient outcomes and her decision making. She was later suspended by the Trust in February 2025.
Papers published by the Trust on its website, which have now been removed, revealed that of the 994 patients reviewed so far, 209 patients suffered harm. Of the 209 patients, 139 were children who had an elective procedure.
The figures were for a Board of Directors meeting on September 9. A total of 47 patients suffered “severe” harm and one reportedly suffered fatal physical harm.
Nicola Ayton, Chief Executive at Cambridge University Hospitals, said she was “deeply sorry” to the patients and families who came to harm or experienced care “below the standards they should expect”.
She said: “This should never have happened and we are making changes so that something like this could not happen again.” One patient, nine-year-old Jack Moate, died two months after being operated on by Ms Stohr, who specialised in paediatric surgery.
Chief Executive Ayton, added: “The external clinical review, chaired by Andrew Kennedy KC, is due to be completed later this year. We have promised that once we receive the final report, which will include confirmed levels of patient harm, we will share it with patients and families first before publishing it in full.
“We know that for patients and families hearing an update like this through the media will come as a shock and cause additional distress. We are sorry to everyone affected that a confidential interim update from the external clinical review was shared by mistake in our public board papers. I am writing to every affected patient and family to apologise and explain what happened.”
Lawyers at Hudgell Solicitors claimed they have received the first admissions of liability for patients being harmed in legal cases for compensation. Solicitor Elizabeth Maliakal says the scale of harm, combined with the years of missed opportunities to act, makes a Public Inquiry essential.
Mrs Maliakal said that she expects the final report to be “damning”. The Trust said 767 patients have been classed as suffering “no harm”, with 53 patients suffering “low harm” when treated by Ms Stohr.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login