Tribunal for medical chief who '˜failed patients' over disgraced surgeon

A former medical chief has been accused of failing to protect patients from a disgraced surgeon dubbed '˜The Butcher' who delivered Samantha Cameron's baby.

David and Samantha Cameon, whose daughter Florence was delivered by disgraced surgeon Rob Jones. Picture: PA

Medical director Paul Upton is due to face a medical tribunal next week over his handling of consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician Rob Jones.

Bungling Jones faced a string of complaints about his botched procedures over 20 years until he finally retired in disgrace in 2012 following a damning report.

He delivered David Cameron’s daughter Florence at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in 2010.

One of Jones’ victims Claire Hill has already been awarded an unspecified sum in damages against the trust after she suffered incontinence for two years following a botched bladder operation.

Over 200 more patients have now sought compensation from the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust for the harm allegedly done to them under his care.

The Camerons are not seeking damages.

The General Medical Council is now considering a new case of impairment by reason of misconduct against his Jones’ boss Paul Upton.

Mr Upton, who was the medical director at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust between April 2009 and July 2013, is accused of failing to take steps to protect patients.

He is also said to have made misleading comments to the media about the steps he took to prevent Mr Jones’ risk.

He currently works as a consultant anaesthetist at the hospital.

There have been eight reviews into Mr Jones’ practice during his time at the RCHT.

An independent review from 2013 stated that the RCHT should have responded more “robustly” to concerns raised in 2007 and the report of the investigation into Mr Jones’ practice from 2008.

The GMC tribunal hearing against Mr Upton is due to start in Manchester on Monday, June 6.

Mrs Hill from Tywardreath, Cornwall, who was left with a hole near her bladder after surgery by Mr Jones in 2010, welcomed the tribunal.

The 38 year-old mother-of-three suffered incontinence for two years before another doctor finally identified the problem.

She said: “Perhaps we will now find out why more was not done at the trust, and why Mr Jones was not retrained or his practice restricted.

“I will always wonder if things would have been different for me if he had undergone retraining or if I had been treated by a different doctor.

“Many other women will be wondering the same thing.”

She added: “All that we can ask for is a full and fair investigation from the GMC to make sure nothing is covered up, and that concerns raised about doctors are taken seriously, for the protection of patients from risk of harm.

“Hopefully, at the end of the tribunals it will give us some closure, it will give us some answers and prevent anything like this happening again.”

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