NHS trust accused of 'covering up' concerns about suspended surgeon should be criminally investigated, say families of patients

The families of some patients who were treated by a now suspended surgeon have called for a criminal investigation into an alleged cover up by the NHS trust she worked for.

A joint investigation by Sky News and The Sunday Times found the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) may have downplayed previous concerns about Kuldeep Stohr, who was suspended from Addenbrooke's Hospital in January this year. A 2016 report, seen by Sky News and The Sunday Times, identified "technical issues" with multiple surgeries done by Ms Stohr - despite a letter shared between staff at the time saying the trust was satisfied it did not raise any concerns.

A senior source at the hospital said children were "severely permanently harmed" as a result of Ms Stohr, and "some of the cases are horrendous". They said the damage could have been avoided and told Sky News there was "the impression of a cover-up".

Radd Seiger, a lawyer representing a number of children and families treated by Ms Stohr, has now called on Cambridgeshire Police to open a criminal investigation into hospital leaders who investigated the surgeon for allegedly covering up patient safety concerns. He said the investigation should specifically investigate the 2016 external clinical review into Ms Stohr, which the Sky News report highlighted.

In response to the Sky News report, Dr Susan Broster, chief medical officer at CUH, said the trust "apologises unreservedly to all the patients and families we have let down". She added that patients who were considered in the 2016 report also form part of a clinical review of the care of 800 patients, which was launched in March.

Ms Stohr said: "I always strive to provide the highest standards of care to all my patients. I am cooperating fully with the trust investigation, and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time." What the 2016 report said The doctor who authored the 2016 report wrote he had "some anxieties about the technical aspects" of one patient's operation, and highlighted "technical error[s]" on several others.

It added Ms Stohr did not always order CT scans after operations took place. The report also highlighted wider issues within the hospital, including a "divided department of paediatric orthopaedics" in which "discussion of difficult cases and mutual support does not exist".

Read more from Sky News:Care homes face ban on overseas recruitmentWoman reveals impact of little-known disorder Ms Stohr was suspended at the beginning of this year after a 2025 report highlighted similar concerns, including around post-op imaging. It also raised concerns that Ms Stohr "frequently operates on her own.