Hundreds of rheumatology patients wrongly prescribed drugs or misdiagnosed

Hundreds of rheumatology patients have stopped receiving drugs they did not need or had their diagnosis changed after a damning review of the service found the standard of care was “well below” what would be considered acceptable.

Jersey’s Health and Community services department has said it will be contacting some of the affected patients “over the coming weeks” and would also be seeking legal advice on “an appropriate approach to compensation”.

The independent review by the Royal College of Physicians also noted there was “no evidence” of standard operating procedures for most aspects of routine rheumatological care and, in some cases, “no evidence of clinical examinations”.

It also found that there had been incorrect diagnosis and wrongly prescribed drugs, describing the standard of care as “well below what the review team would consider acceptable” for a contemporary rheumatological service.

The review was commissioned by HCS medical director Patrick Armstrong, following concerns raised by a junior doctor in January 2022.

Read full story

Source: Jersey Evening Post, 22 January 2024