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Review over alleged neglect at Bristol Children's hospital

An independent review is to be held into Bristol Children's hospital's paediatric cardiac unit following concern about its treatment of newborn babies and young children who died or suffered complications.

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Lawyer to meet with families of children who died

The medical director of NHS England, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, said that an important meeting took place on Friday with the families of children who died at Bristol.

My deputy medical director Mike Bewick and I have listened with great care to their concerns about the care their children received.

I would like to thank them for the dignified and powerful way they have talked to us.

We collectively concluded that the most effective course of action might be to put in place an independent review of the care at the Trust's paediatric cardiac unit.

It was clear that, in the interests of everyone, such a review would need to be independent of the NHS. It must be led by the families involved. It must be their review.

– medical director of NHS England, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh

Sir Keogh said he had agreed in principle with lawyer Sir Ian Kennedy to take such a review forward should the families wish him to do.

He will now ask Sir Ian to meet the families and to work with them to see if they can come to the "scope and terms of reference that the families want".

Last year it emerged around 10 families were believed to be taking legal action against the trust, including seven whose children died following treatment at the hospital.

Review over alleged neglect at children's hospital

An independent review is to be held into a hospital's paediatric cardiac unit following concern about its treatment of newborn babies and young children who died or suffered complications.

The review is over alleged neglect at Bristol children's hospital Credit: : Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/Press Association Images

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of NHS England, confirmed the inquiry will take place at Bristol Children's Hospital, which is accused of a catalogue of neglect and mistreatment of babies and children with heart problems.

He said Sir Ian Kennedy, a lawyer who specialises in the law and ethics of healthcare, has agreed in principle to oversee the review.

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