Breast surgeon sacked

Robert Phipps, of Baildon, was sacked by a Trust disciplinary panel last night after "discrepancies" over employment issues came to light.

Trust chief executive David Jackson and his team found discrepancies between the details on Mr Phipps' application form and his actual career history, creating the impression the surgeon had more experience than he actually had.

Today 28 of the 3,002 former patients of the 45-year-old surgeon received letters from the Trust asking them to undergo re-examinations after doubts over their results. The Trust stressed that no other patients needed to be recalled and that the sacking was not as a result of any allegation relating to medical negligence or substandard clinical practice.

The 28 patients who will be re-seen were all examined by Mr Phipps during his weekly sessions for the Pennine Breast Screening Service, part of the Bradford Trust.

Speaking at his home today, Mr Phipps said: "I can confirm I have been in front of a disciplinary hearing but I have not yet heard the outcome.

"When I hear whatever the outcome is I presume I will be making a statement then."

Questions were today being asked as to how the Trust and the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) failed to pick up discrepancies in Mr Phipp's CV and application form, which related to his time as a surgeon in London, the Home Counties and New Zealand.

Trust chief executive David Jackson admitted "perhaps we should have done more" and added: "I can't tell you how sorry I am that this has occurred.

"The appointment of consultants is a team affair. On this occasion we did not investigate enough about his background.

"I do not think we will be making that mistake again."

Mr Phipps, of Beech Tree Court, Baildon, joined the Trust in September 1998 after practising as a surgeon for eight years in Otago, New Zealand.

He was interviewed by a panel made up of senior Trust members and an independent assessor appointed by the RCS with knowledge of his speciality, general surgery.

Checks were made primarily into his time in New Zealand but, crucially, investigations were not so thorough about his time in the south of England before he went abroad.

Doubts over his experience first surfaced in June and on the 28th of that month, as the investigation developed, he was asked by the Trust to take extended leave.

"He was there in New Zealand for eight years before he came to Bradford," said Mr Jackson. "We didn't look beyond that, perhaps we should have done but he came to us as an established surgeon."

Mr Phipps was notified of the Trust's decision by post today. He now has 28 days to indicate to them whether he wishes to appeal against their decision.

Independent experts painstakingly ploughed through all 3,002 case files from Mr Phipps' time at the Trust to decide if there was any cause for concern.

A spokesman said: "In the minority of cases where the independent experts cannot be entirely satisfied from the case notes, these patients will be invited to attend a review clinic examined by an independent consultant, purely as a precaution."

Dr Michael Smith, medical director of the Trust, said: "We feel that this review is the most prudent and, indeed, the only way of giving patients the reassurance and peace of mind that the diagnosis and care they received was entirely appropriate.

"We regret that this will clearly be an anxious time for some patients but we have a duty of care to our patients and believe they have a right to know of the situation."

Mr Jackson said during his 30 years in the NHS he had never come across a case such as this: "The NHS is a fairly small world. We first started hearing rumours towards the end of June. On June 28, Mr Phipps took extended leave.

"I was made aware of the concerns about him. I investigated these concerns and received information on which I felt I had to act. It was on the basis of that that he agreed to take extended leave.

"We found there were discrepancies between his application form and his actual career history.

"The effect of these discrepancies was to materially misrepresent his previous experience.

"There were a number of substantial errors between what he said on his CV and his actual employment which significantly misrepresented his previous experience and achievements.

"I don't think there is any doubt that in the future we will be much more cautious about accepting what people say in forms and CVs without undertaking substantial checks."

Trust chiefs have informed the doctors' governing body, the General Medical Council (GMC), and the RCS of its decision and also concerns over the selection process.

The Trust issued a phone number for patients wanting more information: 0845 46 47.