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Doctor took out wrong kidney
A SURGEON has been banned from working for a year after taking out the wrong kidney in a botched operation.
Dr Jerome Blanchard (pictured) was last week (Friday) struck off the Medical Register for 12 months after removing a patient’s transplanted kidney rather than the diseased organ.
He was accused of not properly consulting the mother-of-three, whose kidneys were both on the same side of her body, a General Medical Council hearing was told last week.
The panel was told Dr Blanchard had rushed through a meeting with the unnamed patient, which helped contribute to the later confusion surrounding her operation.
Although the panel considered evidence from an internal investigation at the Middlesex Hospital, where Dr Blanchard worked, it found his conduct was “inappropriate, unprofessional, and not in that patient’s best interests”.
But the panel told the doctor: “There were a large number of significant contributory factors relating to the lack of policies and poor communication between doctors, nurses and managers which left both you as the surgeon, and your patient, vulnerable.”
Dr Blanchard will now have to go through a review process, and prove he has retrained in teamwork, communication skills and obtaining patient consent before he is allowed to return to work.
Although the judging panel considered a lifetime ban, the doctor was told: “The Panel has concluded that, although the findings against you are serious, they are not fundamentally incompatible with your continuing to be a registered doctor.
“You have shown insight into the matters that led to this hearing and have expressed regret for these events, and as such they are unlikely to be repeated.” |
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