Trust 'knew doctor misdiagnosed'

All the children affected were treated at the LRI

A hospital trust has been criticised for not acting quickly enough to prevent the misdiagnosis of hundreds of children with epilepsy.

A report by an independent NHS inquiry team found complaints were first made about Dr Andrew Holton, who worked at the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI), almost three years before he was suspended.

The two-year inquiry by the Department of Health heard the neurologist prescribed over 600 children with combinations of high-strength drugs.

Dr Holton was also criticised for having a rude attitude in his dealings with parents over an 11 year period.

He used them to experiment with and caused them nothing but suffering Jayne Hall, parent

The independent NHS inquiry team, commissioned by the Regional Director of Public Health (RDPH), uncovered evidence of complaints about the consultant as early as 1995.

Dr Holton, the panel were told, had an "abrupt approach, a tendency to rudeness and an apparently dismissive attitude towards parents and carers".

"We have concluded that the response of the respective NHS Trusts could and should have been more decisive at an earlier stage," the report said.

Jayne Hall, whose 11-year-old son Charlie was wrongly diagnosed, said: "If Dr Holton has turned out to be a maverick and had helped our children, we would have been applauding him for going out on his own without the support of others.

"But he didn't help them - he used them to experiment with and caused them nothing but suffering.

"We have concluded that the response of the respective NHS Trusts could and should have been more decisive at an earlier stage."

Luke Warren, eight, from Scroptoft, Leicester, was diagnosed with epilepsy over five years ago and his family have since learnt that Dr Holton ignored tests that proved he never suffered the condition.

'Perfectly normal'

Last week doctors in Leicester finally confirmed the youngster does not and never did suffer from the condition, discharging him from treatment.

His mother Wendy Warren said: "At the age of three and a half, Luke was having febrile convulsions.

"Dr Holton diagnosed epilepsy almost immediately at the first appointment but did not send Luke for an EEG scan to check.

"We have since learnt that the scan contradicted his opinion and showed that Luke was perfectly normal."

Dr Holton was suspended on full pay in May 2001, but has since left the trust and is understood to be retraining in another speciality outside Leicestershire.

'Deep regret'

About 400 families have launched a group legal action against the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

Dr Peter Reading, chief executive of the UHL NHS Trust, said: "Mistakes were made in handling some aspects of the problems associated with Dr Holton before and after his suspension.

"The Trust deeply regrets the distress this has caused to patients, parents, families and carers.

"It also regrets the loss of confidence and trust among many during this long and complex process."