Statement - Doctor Suspended Amid Fear of Misdiagnosis
18/07/2001
We found you very professional as well as approachable, helpful and caring. We can now move on and look forward to a more stable and secure future. I am sure that this would not have happened without yourselves being involved.
Jayne, Evesham
A Consultant Paediatrician has been suspended from the Leicester Royal Infirmary amid concerns over the treatments and drugs given to hundreds of children under his care. The media have reported that a substantial number of children are alleged to have been misdiagnosed by Dr Andrew Holton as epileptic and have, as a result been mistreated.
Since initial concerns were raised by both professionals and parents, an Independent Review has been carried out, which has looked at a sample of the children who had been treated by Dr Andrew Holton. The report following this review is now with the Trust concerned. The Trust held a press conference at 10am this morning.
DOCTOR SUSPENDED AMID FEAR OF MISDIAGNOSIS AND MISTREATMENT OF CHILDREN
THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT COMES FROM THE LEICESTERSHIRE EPILEPSY CONCERN - PARENTS AND CARERS GROUP.
THIS GROUP IS MADE UP OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PARENTS AND CARERS OF CHILDREN WHO WERE UNDER THE CARE OF THE CURRENTLY SUSPENDED DR ANDREW HOLTON AT LEICESTER ROYAL INFIRMARY.
The group, set up by disillusioned parents and carers of affected children, issued the following statement today.
"The parents and carers of the children treated by Dr Holton are understandably concerned at the situation and have also become disheartened at the way in which they themselves have been treated by the Trust concerned.
Many parents and carers are appalled at the way in which the Leicester Royal Infirmary has handled the whole situation.
There is a great deal of confusion and parents are, as you would expect, upset by the way in which their needs have been ignored.
There are many other concerns regarding the management of the whole situation including the general lack of access to information, feedback received from the Trust and the treatment of patients when things have gone wrong. These issues have also served to frustrate parents and carers.
By not involving parents and carers and by attempting to maintain secrecy about both the review process and the actual report, the Trust has done little or nothing to alleviate the fears of thousands of those patients and carers.
This group will shortly be passing on to the Trust a series of questions and the Trust has agreed to meet with us to discuss our concerns.
We understand that a review into the work of Dr Andrew Holton has taken place and that this report is now with the Trust.
The review that has taken place does not attempt to seek out problem cases, but rather to produce an overview of a sample of Dr Holton's general patient records.
We are pleased that the Trust has now agreed to a further review investigating all current and past patients of Dr Holton.
However, despite the continuing anguish of parents regarding other areas, the Trust's belief to date is that the review should only be concerned with diagnosis and/or treatment (including types and quantity of drugs administered). We believe it should also include the management of drugs as they were administered, plus the questionable accuracy of information given to parents in order to persuade them to agree to recommended medication.
Another area of concern raised has been the attitude towards parents that have questioned treatment.
Although we believe that there are cases where the treatment by Dr. Holton has retained patient confidence and has had success, there are also many specific cases where the treatment may have been unsatisfactory in a number of ways.
Many parents believe that the cocktail of drugs prescribed to their children is a matter of grave concern and it is clear that there are many harmful side effects that could come from drugs that are inappropriately prescribed for children.
During the investigation, we expect the Trust to inform parents and carers of the impact of such drugs which have been administered and the likely future impact on patients, where appropriate.
Our group is made up entirely of volunteer parents and carers and our commitment is to find the truth of all allegations made and the true extent of the problem.
We understand that the completed review is the first stage of the process in establishing the truth of the situation.
We do not exclude the possibility that Dr Holton may be found to have done nothing wrong.
However, we can assume that a second review would not be happening if there were not areas for serious concerns.
Taking all of the above into account we urge the following:
1. That the government should initiate an Independent Inquiry into this case.
2. That the Trust speedily looks into all case histories, using all resources possible (internally and externally).
3. That any parents or carers who have examples of what they consider to be inappropriate treatment in any respect to contact the Trust in writing at the Epilepsy Project Office at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
We urge that parents and carers do NOT panic and change their children's medication without seeking medical advice.
The LEICESTERSHIRE EPILEPSY CONCERN - PARENTS AND CARERS GROUP are currently considering what action they can take to support patients and carers who will be distressed by these findings.
Currently this is the only information which is being issued by the Group. However, further information will be made available to the media next week.
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