Ever since we lost Ian we have fought for answers, and bit by bit we have uncovered some truly shocking details

MULTIPLE failures by a heart surgeon contributed to the deaths of seven people at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital, an investigation has uncovered.

- By DAVID HUNTLEY

Following the death of a patient due to errors made during surgery to repair a heart valve, an investigation was launched which uncovered a string of other cases where patients had been harmed.

The details have been uncovered by the family of Ian 'Beano' Philip, of Blyth, who died after surgeon Karen Booth carried out a routine operation to repair his heart valve.

'Debris' from the operation entered the 54-year-old dad's arteries, blocking blood flow, causing him to have a heart attack.

As part of a legal case, led by medical negligence specialists Hudgell Solicitors, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust admitted that Ian's death would have been avoided had Ms Booth taken appropriate action when required during surgery. Officials said she should have opted to carry out a graft bypass to ensure blood flow to the heart was maintained.

Ian's heartbroken family have today shared their story with BBC News, having discovered that Ms Booth's colleagues at the hospital reported 22 cases to the Trust in which she had operated, dating between April 2018 and April 2021, raising concerns over resultant death or disability.

The BBC reports that seven people died following multiple failures by the heart surgeon, and that an NHS investigation identified problems in Ms Booth's cases including clinical errors, carrying out operations she wasn't skilled or experienced enough to perform and not calling for help when she should have.

The hospital told the BBC that the General Medical Council (GMC), the UK's regulator for doctors, is investigating Ms Booth, but there are currently no restrictions on her practice, and she is currently working in a nonsurgical role.