Rheumatology death probe to be concluded at start of 2025

Tuesday 17 December 2024

The investigation into the deaths of rheumatology patients since 2019 is expected to be concluded at the start of next year, the Health Minister has confirmed.

Deputy Tom Binet said that a progress report will be submitted to the Health Advisory Board in January.

It was confirmed at September's board meeting that the deaths of 34 rheumatology patients had so far been referred to the Viscount’s Department to be investigated further as part of an ongoing review of care.

This was a rise from the 20 deaths initially referred to the Viscount in July.

Pictured: Rheumatology deals with arthritis and several other conditions that affect the joints, tendons, muscle, ligaments.

Medical Director Patrick Armstrong also confirmed in September that 217 deaths were being examined, up from 190 in July.

At the time, he said that 67 deaths were still to be reviewed.

But Deputy Binet has not confirmed whether this number has changed in the last three months.

He said: "The investigation into the deaths of Rheumatology patients since 2019 is expected to be concluded in the first quarter of 2025, a progress report will be submitted to the Health & Care Services Advisory Board in January.

"The progress report will include the updated number of cases referred to the Viscount, and the number of cases still being investigated."

Pictured: Health Minister Tom Binet said that a progress report will be submitted to the Health Advisory Board in January.

He was answering a written question from Deputy Jonathan Renouf which asked the Health Minister to provide an update on the investigation into the deaths of rheumatology patients – including the number of cases that have been referred to the Viscount and the number of cases that are still being investigated.

But Deputy Binet refused to reveal this number publicly. 

He said that, given the sensitivity surrounding this matter, he would instead arrange a briefing for the Health and Social Services Scrutiny Panel with the Medical Director and Responsible Officer for Primary Care.

An investigation into the standard of care in Jersey's rheumatology department began in January 2022 when concerns were expressed by a junior doctor.

An independent review of the department "found the standard of care to be well below what the review team would consider acceptable for a contemporary rheumatological service".

Published at the start of 2024, the Royal College of Physicians' report revealed a "lack of governance, not just in rheumatology but across the healthcare organisation". 

Pictured: Chief Officer of Health, Chris Bown with the Royal College of Physicians' review of Jersey's rheumatology department.

As a result, Health is currently conducting a review of patients who were treated by the two doctors – referred to as Dr Y and Dr Z in the damning review – from January 2019 until January 2022 and who have subsequently died.

But the department also pledged to extend the review of deaths to cover patients treated by Dr Y and Dr Z before January 2019.

Earlier this year, Mr Armstrong said: “This additional work will begin once a review of the current cohort of patients has been completed.”

It also emerged in July that 33 living patients had so far received ‘duty of candour’ letters to inform them that the rheumatology care they received could have resulted in possible medical harm.

Mr Armstrong acknowledged that some of these patients may wish to seek legal redress and confirmed that Health was "developing an approach to legal matters". 

He explained that a pilot group of rheumatology patients was being used to facilitate settlement offers in respect of the wider group of affected islanders.

At the time, the Medical Director said that Health hoped to make any such settlement offers later this year, either on a case-by-case basis or by way of a general compensation scheme.

Express has asked the Government for an update on the compensation scheme for living patients.