Inquiry hears evidence
on tissue retention
The Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry oral hearings will focus next week
on evidence from parents and hospital staff commenting on the subject
of tissue retention.
However the week will commence with evidence from Sir Graham
Hart, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health (1992 – 1997).
He will be describing the organisation of the Department of Health and
its responsibilities and role in respect of the NHS, including the NHS
Management Executive (NHSME), the Supra Regional Services Advisory Group
(SRSAG) and standard-setting.
The hearing schedule for the week commencing Monday 20 September
is shown below (start times shown in brackets):
Monday 20 September (10.30) Sir Graham Hart, Permanent Secretary,
Department of Health, 1992-1997
Parent: Helen Rickard (Bristol)
Amendment to Start Time
Tuesday 21 September (9.00) Parents: Paul Bradley (Cardiff), Sharon
Tarantino (Gloucestershire), Brenda Rex (Bristol)
Wednesday 22 September (9.30) Dr Michael Ashworth, Consultant
Paediatric Pathologist, St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol
Thursday 23 September (9.30) Parent: Michaela Willis (Devon),
representing Bristol Heart Children Action Group
Professor Peter Berry, Professor of Paediatric Pathology,
St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol
For further information: please contact Becky Jarvis, Bristol
Royal Infirmary Inquiry, tel. 0117 938 8716.
Notes: The oral hearings are held on 5th
Floor, 2-10 Temple Way, Bristol, BS2 0BY.
September 16, 1999
BRI 99-35
Inquiry oral hearings schedule
This week the Inquiry will hear from the President of the General Medical
Council (GMC), Sir Donald Irvine. He will explain the role of the GMC.
The remainder of the week will be taken up with evidence from members
of the Inquiry’s group of independent experts.
The hearing schedule for the week commencing Monday 13th September is
shown below (start times shown in brackets):
Monday 13 September (10.30) Sir Donald Irvine, President, GMC
Tuesday 14 September (9.30) Evidence from experts about aspects of
pre-operative treatment and care.
Dr Eric Silove, Independent Expert: Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist
Dr Alan Houston, Independent Expert: Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist
Wednesday 15 September (9.30) Evidence from experts on aspects of operative
treatment and care.
Dr Eric Silove, Independent Expert: Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist
Professor Marc de Leval, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Mr Jaroslav Stark, Independent expert: Consultant Cardiothoracic
Surgeon
Thursday 16 September (9.30) Evidence from experts about aspects of
post-operative treatment and care.
Mr Leslie Hamilton, Independent Expert: Consultant Paediatric Cardiac
Surgeon
Dr Duncan MacCrae, Independent expert: Consultant in Paediatric Intensive
Care
Dr Barry Keeton, Independent expert: Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist
Mr Andrew Derbyshire, Independent expert: Cardiac Nurse Clinician
For further information: please contact Becky Jarvis, BRI Inquiry, tel.
0117 938 8716.
September 09, 1999
BRI 99-34
50 Experts to assist Inquiry
The number of independent experts who will assist the Bristol Royal Infirmary
Inquiry has reached more than fifty.
A national Group of 35 Experts was appointed in March to assist the Inquiry.
Today an additional 16 members have been added to that group.
The Group covers 14 different areas of expertise ranging from paediatric
cardiac surgery to NHS finance and management and statistics.
Professor Ian Kennedy, Inquiry Chairman, said: "The Group gives
the Inquiry access to particular focussed areas of expertise. This complements
the expertise we already have on the panel through Professor Sir Brian
Jarman, Rebecca Howard and Mavis Maclean."
Professor Kennedy continued: "The areas represented by the Expert
Group reflect the breadth of the issues which we are examining. We are
not just concerned with areas of clinical expertise, such as surgery,
but also with education, training, audit, management, finance and statistics."
Individual members of the Group are the Inquiry’s Experts rather
than acting for any individual or organisation. They give their opinions
in the wider public interest and all the formal evidence from the Expert
Group will be published.
It is the first time at a Public Inquiry that Expert evidence has been
used in this way – moving away from the model used in trials where
such evidence is presented in an adversarial setting.
Experts assisting the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry normally give written
opinions. They may also attend oral hearings and provide background information
to the Inquiry’s legal team.
The list of Experts updated today covers the following areas of expertise:
- Paediatric Cardiology
- Paediatric Cardiac Surgery
- Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
- Paediatric Pathology
- General Paediatrics
- Nursing: General Paediatrics
- Nursing: Paediatric Intensive Care
- Medical Education and Training
- Medical and Clinical Audit
- Regulation of the Medical Profession
- NHS Finance in the 1980s and 1990s
- NHS Management in the 1980s and 1990s
- including the impact of the NHS reforms
- Human Factors and Risk Management
- Statistics and Epidemiology
- Counselling and Support Services
ENDS
Notes for editors: A full list of the current membership of the Inquiry’s
Expert Group is attached
for information. New members shaded.
For further information please contact Becky Jarvis, Media Relations
Manager, tel. 0117 938 8716. The Inquiry website is www. bristol-inquiry.org.uk/
September 06, 1999
BRI 99 -32
Inquiry seeks review case parents
The Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry is seeking 21 families whose children’s
cases have been selected as part of a detailed review by an expert group.
The Inquiry team announced in August this year its proposals to review
a sample of cases taken from over 1,800 children and babies who received
either open or closed heart surgery over a 12-year period.
Inquiry staff are in regular contact with many families whose children
underwent complex cardiac surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI)
between 1984 and 1995. These parents will already know whether or not
their child’s case is included within the review.
However, there are some parents who have yet to be traced. Parents whose
child underwent heart surgery at the BRI or Bristol Children’s Hospital
between 1984-1995 and have never been in contact with the Inquiry should
get in touch if they think their child’s case may be part of the
current review (local call number 0845 3000 613).
Inquiry staff have written to the last known address of all 80 sets of
parents whose children are included in the review. There have been 59
responses to date.
It is the first time that a sample of cases, drawn from virtually all
the paediatric cardiac activity at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Bristol
Children’s Hospital between 1984 and 1995, has been so thoroughly
reviewed.
The review exercise will be carried out by teams from the Inquiry’s
Expert Group, 35 independent experts with a wide range of clinical, academic
and managerial experience.
Professor Ian Kennedy, Inquiry Chairman, said: "The sample, initially,
of 80 case notes will be an important contribution to the Inquiry’s
understanding of the adequacy of the services at the BRI and Children’s
Hospital.
"We are making strenuous efforts to contact every parent whose child’s
case has been selected for inclusion in our review.
"We have had a good response from parents to our initial letters
but there are some who have yet to reply."
m.f.
The clinicians on the Inquiry’s Expert
Group have been formed into review teams which consist of five members:
- paediatric cardiac surgeon;
- paediatric cardiologist;
- paediatric anaesthetist/intensivist;
- paediatric pathologist; and
- paediatric nurse or intensive care nurse.
Review teams will look at the adequacy of
key aspects of pre-operative, surgical and post-operative care, as well
as the adequacy of care overall. The report forms from the exercise will
form the basis of a single review summary which will be presented to the
Inquiry panel during the autumn hearings.
This review exercise will supplement a wide
range of sources for assessing the adequacy of the services provided.
The Inquiry team has published a document
setting out an explanation of its work to review the clinical case notes.
The document is available on the Inquiry Internet website and copies can
be requested from the Bristol office.
ENDS
For further information please contact Becky
Jarvis, Media Relations Manager, tel. 0117 938 8716. The Inquiry website
is www. bristol-inquiry.org.uk/
September 06, 1999
BRI 99 -33
Inquiry oral hearings resume
Please Note
ALTERATION TO START TIME for MONDAY 6/09/99
Following a summer recess, the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry oral hearings
will resume next week with evidence from parents commenting on their experiences
of the provision of counselling services.
On Tuesday, one of the Inquiry’s independent experts will hold a
seminar about congenital heart defects. The remainder of the week will
be spent examining the issue of support and counselling provided at the
BRI and BCH.
The hearing schedule for the week commencing Monday 6 September is shown
below (start times shown in brackets):
|
Monday 6 September (10.30)
|
Parents
|
|
Tuesday 7 September (10.30)
|
Professor Robert Anderson, Independent Expert,
Professor of Paediatric Cardiac Morphology
|
|
Wednesday 8 September (9.30)
|
Revd. Helena Cermakova, Hospital Chaplain
Helen Stratton, Former Cardiac Liaison Nurse/Support
Nurse Specialist, BRI
|
|
Thursday 9 September (9.30)
|
Jean Pratten, Former Hon, Sec of the Bristol and
South West Children’s Heart Circle
Helen Vegoda, Former Counsellor in Paediatric Cardiology
BCH/BRI
|
For further information: please contact Becky Jarvis, Bristol
Royal Infirmary Inquiry, tel. 0117 938 8716.
Notes: The oral hearings will resume on 5th
Floor, 2-10 Temple Way, Bristol, BS2 0BY.
September 02, 1999
BRI 99-31
|
