Report on the General Surgery surgical service at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust (Royal College of Surgeons of England, 6 October 2025)

Summary

On 14 October 2024, Dr Rebecca Martin, Medical Director for The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, wrote to the Chair of the Invited Review Mechanism (IRM) to request an invited service review of the Trust’s General Surgery surgical service. This report presents the findings of this review, conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. They reviewed 17 cases – 8 original operations and 9 complication or return-to-theatre cases. 8 were judged to have involved care below the expected standard. The report also raises concerns about a toxic culture within the surgical team at the Trust.