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downsmail.co.uk Hospital silent over op claims


AFIRM of solicitors investigating patient claims of potential med- ical negligence arising from upper gastrointestinal surgery at Maid- stone Hospital says its request for information has been refused. Thomson Snell and Passmore has


asked to see the Royal College of Surgeons report, commissioned by the hospital trust, under the Free- dom of Information Act. It is said to have found that the service had a higher than expected complication rate in 2012-13, when


Flood honour


EAST Peckham Parish Councillor Steph Watson is to receive a 2014 Billy Can Award for helping the community during the winter floods. The annual community awards


are named in memory of former parish council chairman Bill Boyle and are run “in accordance with Christian principles”. The presentation will take place


at the annual parish meeting on Wednesday, May 21.


Read our archived


editions FREE online at www.downsmail.co.uk


five patients died, and made rec- ommendations after looking into the hospital’s practices and patient safety record. In the meantime, patients need-


ing upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery are being operated on at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. Aspokesman for Thomson Snell


and Passmore, which has been con- tacted about a number of cases since the suspension of GI keyhole surgery at the hospital, describes the trust’s refusal to disclose the re-


port as “highly surprising”, partic- ularly when the college has no ob- jection. The firm says requests by pa-


tients to see the report have also been declined. Lawyer Sharon Lam said: “We


have a significant number of pa- tients who approached us about upper GI laparoscopic surgeries thatwent wrong between 2008 and 2014. The period is not just limited to 2012 and 2013 as the hospital has alleged. Only by releasing the re-


port would we have some idea of the number of potential victims.” She says patients and their fami-


lies have a right to know the out- come of the investigation and whether the surgeons involved are still practising the same type of sur- gery privately, adding: “It is clearly in the public interest to ensure that the report is disclosed as soon as possible.” The firm remains in correspon-


dence with the hospital in the hope it will change its mind.


Office named after councillor


NEW office accommodation for KCC staff will be named in memory of long-serving Tonbridge and Malling politician Mark Worrall, who died in 2012. Worrall House at Kings Hill will pro- vide a base for a range of teams in- cluding social services and education.


The building at 30 Kings Hill Av- enue has been renamed by KCC to reflect the role that Tonbridge and Malling Council, and particularly its leader, played in the development of Kings Hill. KCC Cllr Gary Cooke, cabinet


member for corporate and demo- cratic services, said: “I am delighted that the council is able to recognise the contribution that Mark Worrall made to the development of Kings Hill. Naming the building in this way is a chance to honour his memory and a fitting tribute to his contribu- tion.”


Cllr Worrall was a member of the


borough council for 30 years, serving as its leader from 1985 to 1995 and again from 2003 till his death fol- lowing a short illness. He was awarded an OBE for services to local government in 2008.


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