A shocking case of substandard care at St Helier Hospital in Sutton, south London, has come to light following an independent review by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The devastating findings reveal that three patients lost their lives and 12 others suffered severe harm due to inadequate treatment for a group of progressive lung conditions known as Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD).
The review found that consultant Dr Veronica Varney prescribed treatments without robust scientific evidence, while withholding life-extending medications. In some cases, patients were given antibiotics and a drug licensed for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), rather than treatments specifically proven to help ILD sufferers.
Antifibrotic drugs, which can slow the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis – one of the most aggressive forms of ILD – were not actively recommended by Dr Varney. What's more, patients were reportedly advised against flu and Covid vaccinations, contrary to national guidelines for individuals with ILD.
The RCP review highlighted critical failings in care, including delays in treatment initiation, misinterpretation of lung function test results, and inadequate referrals for essential support like oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, or palliative care. The review also noted that patients were not consistently discussed in specialist team meetings and referrals to larger expert centres were slow.
Concerns about the consultant's practices had been raised by trainee doctors and through the Trust's whistleblower scheme between 2019 and 2022, but these were not adequately addressed at the time. The Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust has since apologised, acknowledging that it should have acted sooner to support staff who raised alarms.
The consultant was stopped from seeing patients in January 2023 and retired in April of that year. The Trust has accepted all 19 RCP recommendations and most are already being implemented. Letters have been sent to affected families, informing them of the serious harm caused, as NHS bodies are legally required to do. A further review of treatment for over 200 ILD patients treated by Dr Varney between 2019 and 2023 is underway, expected to take up to a year. The Trust has confirmed that current ILD patients under its care are now receiving the correct treatment.