Lawyers contact health secretary over Addenbrooke’s botched ops

Lawyers representing more than 50 people treated by a surgeon being investigated over allegations of botched operations have written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for a public inquiry.

The patients were children when they were operated on by Kuldeep Stohr, and theirs are among 800 cases being reviewed by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) over concerns they fell “below expected standards”.

They include Amy, 16, who suffered “severe physical harm”. She said: “I feel like my youth has been taken, but not just my youth, my life.”

The Department of Health and Social Care (DoH) said a national review would look at how complex orthopaedic surgery was overseen.

The patients are demanding to know how the surgeon was able to practise unchecked, despite warnings almost a decade earlier.

Amy, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was one of the first to receive the findings of an independent assessment into her treatment.

Conducted by a panel of external clinicians, chaired by Andrew Kennedy KC, it said the care “did not meet the standards they would expect”.

It raised concerns that surgeries were carried out on Amy’s knees when she was nine, and her legs were still growing.

She was born with Russell-Silver Syndrome, a rare growth disorder, and her left leg was 3cm (1.2in) longer than her right.

In 2018, Ms Stohr said surgery was necessary.

But the assessment said metal plates inserted into her longer leg to stop it growing were too big, causing pain and requiring replacement.

“I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone. It was pretty traumatising,” said Amy.

“I was in a healing process, month after month, and my friends would say ‘Do you want to go out?’ and I would say ‘I can’t, I’m in pain’.

“I missed out on so many great opportunities because my physical health was down.”

Amy’s right leg was then allowed to grow too much and ended up 3cm longer than her left.

“I remember crying and breaking down in the back of the car, because I had so believed it was over,” said Amy,

The family was informed Amy required further leg-lengthening surgery or could develop spinal issues.

She was first operated on by Ms Stohr, two-and-a-half-years after a colleague first raised concerns about her practice in 2015.

“It’s the fact Addenbrooke’s had opportunities to address concerns by colleagues, but nothing ever came of it, and children, including Amy, may not have suffered” said Amy’s mother, Sharon.

“Eight years and four procedures later, Amy can walk, but she suffers from pain, and because of the leg length discrepancy, she places extra pressure on her hip.

“Sadly, she has suffered physically and psychologically. She has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Amy said: “My main question is ‘Why me?’.

“I feel like my youth has been taken, but not just my youth, my life. There’s been a lot of times where I’ve had to cut things short or go home because I’m in pain.”

Roland Sinker, chief executive of CUH, said he was “deeply sorry for the harm” Amy had experienced and the impact “on her and her family”.

He added: “I am saddened that this happened while Amy was under our care. It should not have happened, and we are working to implement improvements to ensure something like this cannot happen again.”

An independent report into opportunities missed to identify harm caused to Ms Stohr’s patients was published last month by investigations company Verita and found an external review in 2016 was not acted upon.

The author of that earlier review, Robert Hill, a senior paediatric orthopaedic surgeon, said the trust demonstrated “little, if any, insight into the issues confronting them”.

Ms Stohr operated on hundreds more patients, until she was suspended in February 2025.

Mr Sinker said: “Last month we published an action plan to address the findings of the independent investigation into the missed opportunities to have identified and addressed concerns sooner.

“In this plan we detail how we are improving clinical governance, better managing and supporting doctors, and encouraging a more open culture where concerns are raised and escalated sooner.”

Maria Repanos of Hudgell Solicitors, representing Amy and her mother, said: “The findings of the review into Amy’s case are deeply concerning and highlight extremely serious shortcomings.

“A wide-scale public health matter of such gravity requires the full public scrutiny at a statutory inquiry.”

A DOH spokesperson said: “Our sympathies are with Amy and all families affected by this deeply distressing situation”

They said the Verita report had already made “several recommendations”, adding: “We expect the trust to deliver every recommendation and provide strong support for families. Independent bodies will oversee this to ensure lessons are learned and that this can never happen again.”

The DOH said a further independent clinical review should report next year and that NHS England was reviewing governance around high-complexity, low-volume orthopaedic and spinal surgery services.

Ms Stohr, through her lawyers, did not respond to the BBC’s questions about Amy’s case, but had previously said: “I always strive to provide the highest standards of care to all my patients.

“I am cooperating fully with the trust investigation, and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

CUH said patients and families concerned about their care could call a freephone helpline on 0808 175 6331.