ANOTHER 1,000 PATIENTS OF DR WATT RECALLED
NUMBER OF NEUROLOGY CASES BEING REVIEWED RISES TO MORE THAN 3,500 COST OF EXERCISE IS ESTIMATED AT OVER £1m 153 PATIENTS GIVEN PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT
AN additional 1,044 former patients of neurologist Dr Michael Watt are to be recalled to ensure they are getting the best treatment possible.
The second stage of the recall process brings to 3,544 the number of patients invited for a review appointment since concerns were raised about the care delivered by Dr Watt.
A further 1,000 people have been seen by a consultant neurologist either because they were referred by the GP or had been given an appointment before the recall process was started.
Providing details of the latest stage of the recall, estimated to have cost around £1m to date, Northern Ireland’s top doctor said the final number of affected patients could grow further.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride also said officials do not know yet whether any of Dr Watt’s patients have come to harm.
“Our focus has been on patient safety,” he said.
Dr McBride said assessing whether anyone has come to harm will only happen once the recall process is completed.
“What has happened is that each individual patient sees a neurologist who will take their history, order additional diagnostic tests where required, and they then review the patient and decide whether or not the original diagnosis was correct.
“The second focus is looking at the individual outcomes for patients.
“Sometimes unpicking a diagnosis is more laborious than making the original diagnosis be-
cause every bit of history, every previous investigation, has to be looked at.”
Dr McBride also warned the nature of many neurological conditions could make it impossible to accurately assess whether a patient has come to harm because of a failing in their care.
“By their very nature they are progressive and a condition may become clearer as symptoms become more pronounced,” he said.
“But we have given a commitment
to get answers for patients and we are putting in place a system of redress.
“People can be affected in so many different ways, for example if someone has been diagnosed with epilepsy, as a man that could have serious consequences for their job and their driving licence.”
He added that 153 people have been provided with psychological support as part of this recall process.
Letters have been sent to the 1,044 patients who are part of the second phase of the review and should have arrived at homes by yesterday afternoon.
People in this further group had been prescribed certain medications for neurological conditions.
These include anti-epileptic drugs, immunosuppressants and disease modifying therapies which are used to treat conditions, such as epilepsy and mul- tiple sclerosis. They are all former patients of Dr Watt who had been discharged into the care of their GP.
Dr McBride said anyone who has not yet received a letter does not need to take any further action unless they have specific concerns about their condition.
He said that, more importantly, anyone who has received a letter must not make any changes to their treatment regime until they have been reviewed by a consultant neurologist.
“We are aware that some people did stop taking their medication as a result of the first phase of the recall because they believed they had been misdiagnosed,” he said.
It is hoped that everyone who has received a letter will be seen within the next four months.
He said he could not rule out the possibility of more patients being recalled.
The Department of Health, Public Health Agency and Belfast Trust launched the biggest-ever patient recall in May prompted by an investigation into Dr Watt.
The General Medical Council is also carrying out its own investigation and a series of restrictions have been placed on Dr Watt’s licence to practise.