A seven-year long inquiry found that patients had their mental and physical health put at risk
Patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) were misdiagnosed, given drugs that could harm them and put through unnecessary painful tests, an ITV documentary has revealed.
After a seven-year long inquiry it has come to light that patients suffering with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGID) had their mental and physical health put at risk by “aggressive” treatments.
A review of GOSH’s services, conducted by doctors working for the world-famous children’s hospital alongside an external group of health experts, has concluded that other patients were wrongly diagnosed with a rare allergy and over-treated with extremely strict “exclusion diets”. The most famous case of this was the ‘allergy poster boy’, who GOSH misreported as allergic to almost all foods.
Details of the controversy, which is estimated to have affected around 400 children, were exposed in an investigative documentary which aired on Wednesday 18 April 2018.
Linda Millband, national practice lead for clinical negligence at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “It is unacceptable that vulnerable young people have had their lives unnecessarily put in danger. Exaggerated diagnoses and other systemic problems at GOSH, particularly in the gastroenterology department, apparently led some doctors in other hospitals to stop sending their patients to the hospital.
“Although GOSH has now issued an apology for its clinical failings the hospital needs to be held accountable for the consequences of its actions and needs to show that it has changed. One way of demonstrating that change is to answer those families who are still waiting for explanations to questions they have been asking since 2011.”
Ms Millband leads Thompsons Solicitors’ national team of expert clinical negligence solicitors, who have years of experience in helping people secure compensation for life changing medical errors.
Ms Millband continued: “I would encourage the families of those affected to contact our team of specialists who understand the nuances of child accident claims and the devastating effect they have on families.”
It is unacceptable that vulnerable young people have had their lives unnecessarily put in danger.Linda Millband National practice lead for clinical negligence at Thompsons Solicitors
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