Belfast Trust recalls 2,500 neurology patients following review of consultant’s work

A RECALL of 2,500 patients has been announced today by Northern Ireland’s biggest health trust following a probe into a consultant neurologist’s work.

The Belfast health trust has confirmed it has received a report it ordered into the clinical practice of Dr Michael Watt.

A patient helpline has also been established and the number is 0800 980 1100.

The trust said doctors had raised concerns in relation to the “care and treatment provided by Dr Michael Watt to a small number of patients” which prompted an internal review plus a further review carried out by the Royal College of Physicians.

While the trust had initially refused to comment on the speciality involved, the Irish News learned it was neurology, which is linked to the treatment of brain-related conditions.

The highly experienced consultant neurologist is not currently working at the trust’s hospitals – which include the Royal Victoria, where patients from across the north are sent for specialist care.

Dr Mark Mitchelson, Medical Chair of Division, apologised to patients and their families for the “anxiety” caused and said the trust intended to see all recalled patients within 12 weeks and had established additional clinics.

“Other doctors raised concerns with the trust regarding the care and treatment provided by Dr Michael Watt to a small number of patients.

“As a result of our own review and a further review carried out by the Royal College of Physicians, we would like to invite a number of his patients back for a review appointment to assure them, their families, and ourselves that they are receiving the best treatment.

“The recall of such a large number of patients is so that we can be confident and thorough in ensuring that patients are having the best possible care.

“To ensure patients are seen as quickly as possible we have set up a large number of additional clinics and we intend to see all patients within the next twelve weeks. Again, we are truly sorry for the anxiety this will cause.”

The Belfast Trust said it has contacted every patient it would like to review and is asking patients to make contact so that an appointment can be made.

Sources last night told the Irish News that trust staff had been drafted in over the weekend to set up a dedicated helpline and issue letters to a large number of his patients.

A spokeswoman for the trust had confirmed it had “recently received” a report from the Royal College of Physicians “regarding a consultant’s practice”

“We are considering it carefully with a view to taking any appropriate action in the next few days,” she said.

She confirmed an announcement would be made today but would not comment any further on the creation of a helpline or the number of patients affected.

The Irish News has learned that Belfast trust chiefs approached the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), which is a professional body for doctors, to carry out an investigation known as an “Invited Service Review” into Dr Michael Watt’s work.

Medical directors or chief executives of healthcare organisations can request the probes from the Royal College when they feel the “practice of clinical medicine is compromised and there are concerns over patient safety”, according to the RCP website.

Patricia Gordon is the director of MS Society Northern Ireland and said Dr Watt had treated MS patients.

“While we are deeply concerned about the announcement, we are pleased that a helpline has been established and that the trust has committed to provide review appointments within 12 weeks,” she said.

The last major health scandal that led to a patient recall at the trust was the case of the dentist Professor Philip Lamey in 2011.

More than 130 of his patients were recalled when 35 of them developed cancer. Four of them died.

The former consultant at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital’s School of Dentistry, who was also a tutor at Queen’s University dental school, was struck off in 2014 and found guilty of more than 100 charges of malpractice.

In 2015, he appealed the striking-off decision by the General Dental Council (GDC) and it was quashed and substituted with a six-month suspension.

A further review concluded that subject to very strict conditions the dentist could return to work.

Professor Lamey lost an unfair dismissal case against Queen’s the previous year.

The patient helpline number is 0800 980 1100. You can call between 9am and 9pm Monday to Friday and from 9am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

This is the biggest recall ever of patients in Northern Ireland and it is also the most serious.

Among the 2,500 under review are children, some of whom may have been struggling with a wrong diagnosis.

One patient said she felt she was not being taken seriously by the Belfast Health Trust.

Another woman said that she is frightened that she is actually suffering from a serious condition, such as Multiple Sclerosis.

Neurology is the treatment of brain conditions including MS, Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke and Motor Neurone Disease.

While some of these conditions can be treated, nearly all are life changing.

A consultant who once worked alongside Dr Michael Watt said all of his colleagues were shocked.

He said it was a “daunting” time for everyone, but patient safety must come first.

The Belfast Health Trust has been aware of a potential problem since December 2016.

Did they act quickly enough?

I understand that, within weeks of a GP raising concerns about his patient, some consultants also raised the alarm and urged the trust to carry out its own review.

Within six months, Dr Watt was no longer working with patients. The Belfast Health Trust said he had not seen any patients since June 2017.

However, it has taken a year to get to this stage.

The results of an independent review by the Royal College of Physicians were delivered last week and a decision was made to recall Dr Watt’s patients.

The Belfast Trust said the college was positive about the work of its neurology department. However, a more extensive review will be carried out later in the year.

Questions still remain. Did the trust act quickly enough? Should a consultant be responsible for a case load of 2,500 patients?

In time, the trust’s chief executive will be expected to answer questions about the review of patients and, consequently, Dr Watt’s future.

The BBC also tried to get answers but, for weeks, requests for information were ignored.

Reviews are necessary to establish facts. But in the meantime, according to patients, they can feel their plight is forgotten.

For many, it has been an anxious time as patients were not told what was going on.

It was also a frustrating time as many could not get appointments or were receiving conflicting messages over a diagnosis.