GOSH statement following BBC Panorama 19 May 2021

In 2015, we recognised that our gastroenterology service was not offering the best service to our patients, so we commissioned an independent review by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). This review included assessments by independent national and international experts.

We developed a comprehensive action plan and then commissioned a follow-up review with the RCPCH in 2017. Both reviews were shared with our regulator, the CQC.

While there was much to commend our gastroenterology service in these reviews, we have acknowledged publicly that we did not always get the care right and we have apologised.

The programme appeared to suggest that GOSH had deliberately misled the regulator. However, the CQC has made clear that there was no indication of this.

We are satisfied that the reviews were comprehensive and thorough. By 2019 we had reviewed all our gastroenterology patients and were assured they were receiving appropriate treatment. We are confident that the service is now much improved and is delivering high standards of care. However, we will reflect on what Sammy and his family said about their experience at GOSH.

We are committed to being open and transparent when care falls below the high standards we strive for. Throughout the entire process we have worked closely with the CQC and NHS England and Improvement.

We seek to be a learning organisation and believe in the importance of peer reviews to help us continually improve the care we give to our patients and their families. We have committed to a further external review of the service to ensure the changes made have helped develop the department into one that provides the very best care. We are in the process of commissioning this expert clinical review which will be shared with the regulator in line with our usual practice.

Further information

Our previous statements on the reviews of our gastroenterology service can be found here.

If you have any questions about your own treatment at GOSH or the treatment of your child at GOSH, please contact our Patient Advice service (Pals) on 020 7829 7862.