Doctors ask: did Great Ormond Street boss cover up hospital's role in Baby P affair?

Hospital management ignored strenuous warnings about deficiencies in care that led to the death of a toddler (below)



Senior doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital have called for an independent investigation into their chief executive, following claims she helped cover up its role in the Baby P affair.

The consultants have written to The Lancet saying it is now "impossible" to raise questions over the conduct of Jane Collins internally.

They imply the matter has not been "properly or impartially investigated" within the hospital, and warn that this makes the famous children's hospital appear to be "an organisation that buries its mistakes".

Their letter comes three weeks after Lynne Featherstone, the Equalities Minister and MP for Haringey in north London, said Dr Collins "deliberately withheld" important information regarding the children's clinic where Baby P was seen two days before his death.

Ms Featherstone told the BBC that it appeared Dr Collins "attempted to cover up the fact that the situation" at the clinic, St Ann's Hospital, had been deemed "clinically risky" in an independent report.

Clinical staff at St Ann's, including the consultant paediatrician was saw Baby P and missed that he had a broken back, were employed and managed by Great Ormond Street at the time of his death in August 2007.

While Great Ormond Street passed on the full report to police, only a summary went to the author of the serious case review looking into the death of the child, whose name was Peter Connelly.

Calling for an "independent investigation", the doctors wrote: "We want the matter properly and impartially investigated, not because error is inexcusable, but because we do not wish GOSH to be seen as an organisation that buries its mistakes."

A spokesman for Great Ormond Street Hospital claimed the consultants were motivated by other concerns.

He said: "There are a minority of consultants who are unhappy at some of the changes that the trust is introducing to improve patient care.

"We are sorry that they have chosen to express their views through the media, when there are plenty of avenues through which to raise concerns within the trust. The vast majority of staff are clearly comfortable to use these."

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