Investigation into suspended Addenbrooke’s surgeon extended

90 trauma cases and 700 planned surgical procedures that happened during the time Ms Stohr was employed by the Trust have been examined

An investigation into a suspended Addenbrooke’s surgeon has been extended. Kuldeep Stohr, an orthopaedic surgeon, was suspended by Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust (CUH) after a review identified the “outcomes of treatment provided to a small number of patients were below the standard” the Trust said it would expect.

The independent review of surgical operations carried out on children by Ms Stohr was commissioned last year and has been extended to cover additional emergency procedures. This follows after the review team was asked to examine an initial 90 trauma cases to assess the standard of treatment, alongside 700 planned surgical procedures during the time Ms Stohr had been employed by the Trust.

In letters to patients, signed by Chief Medical Officer Sue Broster, the Trust says the decision to extend the review was taken “following careful consideration by the independent clinical experts.”

It reassures parents that cases are being selected for review “to understand whether the treatment provided met the outcomes we could expect”. According to Hudgell Solicitors, the letter says that each case will be considered individually, and that some patients may need to undergo a clinical review.

A number of families affected by the ongoing investigations are being represented including some who have reportedly now had confirmation from the Trust that their child was harmed.

Solicitors Elizabeth Maliakal said: “This is a significant development, given it comes 14 months after the initial review was commissioned by the Trust into the surgeries Ms Stohr had conducted in her time there.”

The focus will now be on the final independent report findings, which the Trust has said will be shared publicly on conclusion in the Autumn.

In a report last year, CUH Trust was found to have failed to act appropriately after an initial investigation into Ms Stohr’s practice in 2015. That investigation found “a series of shortcomings” in her surgeries and proposed remedial steps to address them.

However, an external review of the Trust’s response last year said it had done “nothing substantial” to address concerns over her practice, meaning “any deficiencies in Ms Stohr’s practice were allowed to persist for the next seven to eight years”, missing 32 opportunities to act.

Mrs Stohr went on a period of leave in March 2024 which led to colleagues raising concerns about patient outcomes and aspects of her decision-making. This resulted in an initial review of 55 cases which found nine where treatment provided was below the standard expected and Ms Stohr’s was consequently suspended.