Hospital director suspended over waiting lists

A top London hospital has suspended one of its directors amid claims he "fixed" waiting lists.

It has been alleged that Stuart Coalwood cancelled hundreds of operations to ensure the hospital's performance reflected favourably in government league tables.

Mr Coalwood, acting director of commissioning, was suspended last month. Staff at the hospital, which specialises in hip replacements and t reating spine injuries, are now contacting about 300 patients whom it is feared may never have received the treatment they needed.

The world-famous hospital takes patients from all over Britain. Prince Andrew's daughter, Princess Eugenie, was treated there in 2002 for curvature of the spine.

In a statement today, it said the investigation followed concerns by a member of staff about "possible irregularities" in the management of waiting lists, and would centre on finding out why each patient was removed from the list.

"We expect that most of these 300 patients have been taken off the waiting list for valid and legitimate reasons," it said.

"However, if the investigation finds that any patient has been taken off the list inappropriately, we will take immediate steps to offer them an early operation."

A hospital's funding is linked to its league-table performance. The Royal National Orthopaedic has struggled to meet government waiting list targets and in 2002 its long surgery waiting list saw it awarded only one star out of three.

However, its rating leapt to two stars in a rapid improvement last year after it met most of its performance targets, partly by cutting the maximum wait for in-patient treatment from 15 weeks to 12 and also by reducing the maximum waiting time for GP referrals.

Now the suspension of Mr Coalwood has cast a shadow over exactly how and why the reductions were made, and whether the list was "manipulated".

Cancelling operations means shorter waits for patients still on the list, which in turn translates into better performance in league tables.

Longer lists can affect funding from Primary Care Trusts, which commission hospital services.

Richard Hudson, head of corporate affairs at the hospital, said staff were trying to identify exactly which patients had their operations cancelled, and why.

"We have identified that 300 people we re taken off the waiting list but we don't yet know the reasons," he said.

"First we have to identify the patients, then we have to go through each individual's case to see why their operation was cancelled."

He said he expected the investigation to last "probably days, rather than a week".

In a brief statement, Mr Coalwood said: "Waiting lists have fallen in line with national figures. I am suspended. There is an investigation."