Inquiry Ordered As MLAs Debate Dentist

The Belfast Trust has recalled well over 100 people after a senior consultant was removed from his post at Belfast's Royal School of Dentistry.

A review of Professor Philip Lamey's work has now led to a hearing of the General Dental Council in London on 9 July.

NI Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has also today promised a vigorous, independent inquiry following the removal of the senior consultant .

Ulster Unionist Executive Minister McGimpsey told the Northern Ireland Assembly today that he shared the shock and concern the public felt and said about 135 people have been recalled after a review of Professor Philip Lamey's work.

He was facing questioning in the Assembly on Monday over the oral medicine specialist, who has also been reported to the General Medical Council.

Chair of the Stormont Health Committee Jim Wells told the BBC this morning that he wants to know why it "took so long from this issue being discovered to action being taken?"

The DUP MLA added: "And also more fundamentally leading officials from the department told the committee on two occasions within recent weeks that there were no more investigations out there which we didn't know about."

Commenting, the Sinn Fein MLA and Vice Chair of the Health Committee Michelle O'Neill said there is an urgency to address the low level of public confidence in the health system.

"The Minister needs to restore public confidence both in the operation of the Health Service and in his ability to continue as Minister.

"While I welcome that fact that there will be an urgent review it comes after the Minister having knowledge of this matter for over 13 months.

"He has failed to keep the Assembly, the Executive and the Health Committee informed, but more crucially his drip feed of information is continuing to undermine public confidence in the health service. This is unacceptable," she fumed.

A Trust spokesman said problems with the care administered by the dentist came to light in late 2009, but he was not removed from his post until the end of last year.

He said that he is no longer treating patients but is still employed by the trust and that the recall of the patients were "a precautionary measure".

There are concerns about the late diagnosis of cancer found in some patients and now there are specific worries that oral cancer may have been missed.

Minister McGimpsey said: "In November 2009 the Belfast Trust became aware that six people who had been referred for surgery following a diagnosis of oral cancer could potentially have been referred at an earlier stage of their illness.

"A small number of people attending the service may have cancer. Each year in Northern Ireland there are about 160 cases of oral cancer.

"The course of disease in oral cancer cannot be predicted and suspicious abnormalities or ulcers in the mouth may be totally innocent or harmless while others may progress to cancer.

"In December 2009 the Belfast Trust took action to review and carry out a 'look back' exercise into this issue.

"This was an extremely time-consuming and complex process looking at some 3,000 clinical charts, lab reports and radiological investigations of every patient who had attended the service during 2009.

"However, during the time that this intensive work was being completed, it became clear that there were problems in relation to the management of a number of patients. This raised major concerns which the clinical experts determined needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

"The key issue which emerged was that 18 people were identified where concern existed regarding the quality of care. All of these 18 people were being actively managed by specialists in the health service at the time concerns were identified.

"Following further investigations it is now known that there is a total of 22 people for whom there are serious concerns , 15 cancer patients have been identified and four cancer patients have since died - three from oral cancer and one from other causes," he said, noting that the trust is now also providing a helpline, which received between 40 and 50 calls at the weekend. The telephone number is 028 9063 6330.

See Assembly statement (with minor editing) on: Oral Medicine Care In Focus

(BMcC/GK)