On Tuesday, the government issued a statement about the Paterson Inquiry, where a rogue surgeon was found to have initiated thousands of unnecessary surgical procedures on patients and was allowed to practice unchecked for years. Lucy raised her concerns about a common theme of an imbalance of power between consultants and patients, who acquiesce to the consultants' view given their position of power and trust, in many other NHS scandals.
In the maternity death scandal that affected Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, this imbalance of power was a key factor, with many women accepting the explanations of male consultants that masked serious medical malpractice. It is imperative that patients can trust the advice of medical professionals and that a culture of transparency is encouraged to prevent this ever happening again.
The Minister for Patient Safety, Nadine Dorries MP, agreed that a it is often a disproportionate number of women who are affected by this in recent medical scandals and that consent is key to tackling these issues.
You can read Lucy's contribution in Hansard at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-02-04/debates/560C88B9-4C75-483D-ABF2-12951326AE28/PatersonInquiry#contribution-853B3AAD-FD15-43FB-9A47-82ECA06F4E68
