Consultant accused of 'serious surgical errors'

A consultant surgeon made a string of serious blunders before, during and after operations on 12 patients, six of whom later died, a disciplinary hearing was told.

Christopher Ingoldby, 56, of Roundhay, Leeds, made "serious surgical errors" and neglected his professional duty towards the public in his care, the General Medical Council (GMC) hearing was told.

The delay in bringing the case against the former consultant at Pinderfields and Pontefract NHS trust has cost it almost £1m in salary, locum and legal fees.

Mr Ingoldby is allegedly in the front rank of the profession's worst offenders. He failed to explain vital details to several patients and their relatives and in one case lied to a family about the reason for a man's death, the hearing was told.

Mr Ingoldby, who was initially suspended with full pay of £61,600 a year before being sacked in July 2000 after two inquiries, is accused of serious professional misconduct between 1990 and 1997. If found guilty he is likely to be struck off the medical register.

Mr Ingoldby has consistently denied that he botched the operations and maintained that his results were no worse than those of his colleagues. He admits almost all the facts of the case but rejects allegations of failure. He denies serious professional misconduct.

Vivian Robinson QC, for the GMC, said: "Taken compendiously these allegations represent a serious neglect of his professional responsibilities towards these patients. Prior to the operations there was a failure to make adequate investigation, failure to obtain informed consent from a number of patients. At operation there are instances of serious surgical error and the making of inadequate operations notes.

"Post-operatively, there is a substantial number of occasions where Mr Ingoldby has failed in his duty or delayed in taking proper steps in relation to patient care."

The panel was told the first charge related to an 81-year-old man who had a series of operations for cancer before dying in April 1994. Mr Robinson said Mr Ingoldby failed to make adequate pre-operative investigations "He gave the false impression to the patient and his family that the cancer had been removed completely when it hadn't," he said.

Patient C, a woman in her early 40s, was operated on for gallstones but during the operation her bile duct was severed. Mr Robinson said the consultant did not explain the risks involved to the patient and was therefore guilty of operating without informed consent.

Patient J, a man aged 75, was operated on for gastric cancer in July 1997 but died nine days later. Mr Robinson said the consultant did not ensure a CT scan was performed.

Mr Robinson added that the surgeon did a gastrectomy operation (the removal of part or all of the stomach) on patient L, a 64-year-old man, in October 1997. After the operation, the man died from internal bleeding – perhaps caused when a tie placed over a vein during the operation slipped. Mr Ingoldby lied to the family and the GP about the displaced tie being the reason for the bleeding, he said.

One patient has already been awarded more than £100,000 in damages against the surgeon and four others have received compensation. A further nine cases were outstanding, the trust said.

Another 18 claims for compensation have been discontinued, some because they were ruled out of time. The case is expected to last two weeks.