‘STILL MUCH WORK TO DO’ AS COUNCIL INVESTIGATES

IN May, an interim review as part of the Dr Hay investigation being carried out by NHS England and the hospital trust found the now-retired doctor had a “surgery-first” approach and regularly did not brief patients on options other than surgery or advise them on the risks and benefits of procedures.

It also found widespread instances of poor record keeping, which in some cases were non-existent. It found major concerns around 50 women treated by Dr Hay and some concern over the care of 69 further women.

A Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “I can confirm Chesterfield Royal Hospital is not conducting or participating in any investigation into Dr Hay. The trust is not aware of any issues being raised about Dr Hay during his time at CRH.”

A GMC spokesperson reconfirmed that it would not give details of complaints. They said: “We have received the interim report from University Hospitals of Derby and Burton and are sorry to hear that patients are likely to have been harmed. While our investigation is ongoing and to protect future patients, Mr Hay‘s practice has been restricted by an interim orders tribunal at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.”

A UHDB trust spokesperson said: “The interim report of investigation suggests that a further look back at the practice of the former specialist consultant benign gynaecologist may be required should this be recommended once the full report is complete. The trust will make a decision about this once the information shared by the 383 women has been fully evaluated and included in the report.”

Dr Magnus Harrison, executive medical director at UHDB, said: “There is still much work to do but the interim Report of Investigation released earlier this year demonstrates it was the right decision to formally investigate the work of this consultant. We will share the full report in 2022 and implement its recommendations in full.”