There has been an investigation into the conduct of a Consultant Gynaecologist into the working practices and care given by Daniel Hay, who was employed by the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust and performed gynaecological surgery upon hundreds of women.

The investigation, which looked into the working practices of Mr Hay between 2015 and 2018 was commissioned by the Gynaecology Review Steering Group, which includes representations from NHS England, UHDB and the Derby and Derbyshire clinical commissioning groups.

A total of 325 women were contacted by the reporting panel and interviewed in relation to their experiences of treatment and care given by Daniel Hay.

The allegations of bad practice included the recommendation and carrying out of hysterectomies for heavy menstrual bleeding and other gynaecological concerns without offering scans, investigations or alterative plans. In some cases, little or no informed consent was obtained by the patients prior to going through life changing procedures. Often, the women felt that the hysterectomy was their only option and that the procedure was rushed through rather than trying to find the underlying causes.

The report found that two women had suffered severe physical harm and three had suffered moderate physical harm.

The report placed the patients treated by Mr Hay into 3 categories; Red, Amber and Green. 48 cases were rated red highlighting major concerns, 68 were graded amber highlighting some concerns and 209 were graded green with no concerns highlighted.

Consultants who were colleagues of Mr Hay first raised concerns in 2017 and 2018 but it appears that no action was taken and they were not interviewed by the Trust until 2022, five years later.

Mr Hay was interviewed under caution earlier this year by Derbyshire Police in relation to the procedures he carried out at the Royal Derby Hospital and Ripley Hosptials.

Since the report, the Trust has been given a number of recommendations including measures to identify poorly performing clinicians, that no Consultant should work in isolation and that it should be mandatory for clinicians to attend multidisciplinary team meetings.

The Trust was also given a recommendation to invest in more gynaecological support for women in their care.

It has also been reported that further investigations are to be carried out into Mr Hays care from 2012 to 2015.

The findings of the investigation and recommendations for further investigations will understandably be concerning for those women receiving treatment from University Hospital of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation trust, and specifically by Mr Hay.

It is shocking that, despite concerns being raised, no one was interviewed regarding these concerns for a number of year, during which time the Consultant continued to work in his role, unseen, before retiring on the grounds of ill health in 2020. This has led to the victims of the treatment feeling dismissed and unheard, as well as colleagues who tried to raise their concerns which were not acted upon.

If you or a loved one have undergone gynaecological treatment at the University Hospital of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation trust, and have had a poor outcome which you consider may have been avoidable, please contact our clinical negligence team to explore how we may be able to help.