Three dead after consultant gave patients ‘outdated and incorrect’ advice, review finds
Dr Veronica Varney gave lung disorder patients rogue advice, including avoiding rapeseed oil, and discouraging them from getting the covid or flu jabs
Three people died, and others suffered permanent harm at the hands of a consultant who gave outdated and incorrect medical advice, a review has found.
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Dr Veronica Varney advised her patients, who were diagnosed with lung disorders, not to get the flu jab and to avoid rapeseed oil while working at St Helier Hospital in south London.
She was fired from St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group (GESH) in 2023 and subsequently referred to the General Medical Council.
A year later, a review was commissioned by the trust into Dr Varney’s treatment of patients who had interstitial lung disease (ILD), a term applying to over 200 conditions responsible for progressive inflammation and scarring of the lung tissue.
A total of 28 cases between 2019 and 2022 were reviewed by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).
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In order to treat ILD, a personalised plan led by a multidisciplinary team is required - prerequisites which the review found Dr Varney did not engage with.
Dr Varney “frequently” recommended off-label treatments and provided non-evidence-based advice for patients, including discouraging them from getting vaccinated against flu or Covid-19, or from consuming rapeseed oil, the review found.
Three people died as they did not have access to treatments which may have extended their lives, according to the investigation.
In one case, there was a two-year delay in the patient being given immunosuppression treatment, and despite their declining health, the appropriate therapy was not started until complications had developed.
One patient was told their symptoms were down to poor fitness and was given dietary advice rather than treatment.
Another patient was not referred to a specialist ILD multidisciplinary team meeting for a year, which the report said led to “missed opportunities for earlier intervention”.
A further 12 people suffered permanent or long-term harm, the review found, while seven cases were not given treatments that could have improved their quality of life or required further procedures.
Dr Richard Jennings, group chief medical officer at Gesh, said: “I offer my sincere apologies to our patients and their families for the harm this has caused – the care they received fell far below what should have been given.
“While the Royal College of Physicians’ report makes it clear that patients were significantly harmed, it also expresses confidence in the changes we had already made to make the service safe, and we have accepted and acted on all of their recommendations.
“We have contacted patients or their families to share the findings, apologise, and offer further support.”
Gesh will review the care given to all ILD patients treated by Dr Varney from 2019. This is expected to take between 12 months to two years.
Dr Varney remains under investigation by the General Medical Council and has restrictions on her practice while this process is ongoing.