Supporting 140 clients in relation to Mr Jeremy Parker 

We are supporting 140 patients of Mr Jeremy Parker through legal proceedings, following concerns relating to his surgical procedures.  

The specialist orthopaedic surgeon, formally based at Colchester Hospital and specialising in hip and knee surgery, has been suspended. Mr Jeremy Parker also practised at the Oaks Hospital, but no longer works at either hospital following his suspension order in July 2019. 

Fletchers has been instructed to represent 140 claimants who have suffered complications following treatment received from Mr Jeremy Parker, consultant orthopaedic surgeon. 

Mr Parker conducted the majority of his surgeries under the NHS or the Choose and Book scheme, however, we are also instructed in a number of claims relating to private treatment. 

Over 30 cases relating to Mr Parker have now been settled and to date, over £1 million in compensation has been paid out. 

Mr Jeremy Parker – An Update

We act on behalf of a group or claimant’s pursuing claims against the Colchester Hospital with regards to the treatment that they received from Mr Jeremy parker, consultant orthopaedic surgeon.

Mr Parker has been subject to an ongoing investigation by Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) since 2022 after he was referred to it by the GMC. The Tribunal had listed the matter for a hearing which began on 28th November 2022 and was due to be completed on 5th December 2022. However the hearing was subsequently deferred for consideration on 30th January 2023- 3rd February 2023 after it became clear that Mr Parker did not intend to make any submissions to the Tribunal.

The tribunal considered whether Mr Parkers’ ability to practice as a doctor was impaired by reason of misconduct which affected allegations concerning an anonymised group of patients (Patients A-F) between August 2015 and February 2019.

Mr Parker did not engage with the hearing and a final decision was made on 2 February 2023

Below are some of the findings and allegations that were found proven:

• Some of the failures in relation to the standard of care provided to ‘A – F’ amounted to serious misconduct.
• Mr Parker failed to discuss care with other medical professionals prior to operating.
• Mr Parker failed to obtain informed consent; having failed to discuss all material risks and/or benefits of the procedure.
• Mr Parker failed to adequately record keep; he having failed to record his clinical assessment and rationale for his treatment decisions.
• Mr Parker failed to refer a patient to an appropriate specialist.
• Mr Parker was dishonest in adding pre-typed operation notes to approximately 14 patient’s records
• Mr Parker was dishonest in failing to adhere to the restrictions imposed; in particular, he undertook surgery while subject to imposed restrictions placed on his practice which required 2 surgeons to be in attendance for any hip replacement procedure, and also prohibited him from carrying out any knee joint replacements at all.

The MPTS concluded that these breaches were sufficiently serious to warrant a finding of impairment which has led to Mr Parker’s erasure from the medical Registrar with immediate effect from 2 February 2023. This means the Mr Parker cannot continue to act as a doctor in the UK . He is currently suspended pending any appeal. If there is no appeal made then he will be removed from the Register.

 Our position on the matter  

Head of Medical Negligence, Christian Beadell who is working on the case said:  

“We have been instructed by 140 former patients of Mr Jeremy Parker who were treated by him over many years leading up to his suspension in 2019. During that time, Mr Parker primarily conducted hip and knee surgeries as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon operating out of the Colchester Hospital and the Oaks Medical centre.   

“We are investigating a number of aspects of Mr Parker’s treatment of our clients but in particular his decision making with regards to proceeding to surgery and the consent process.  Many of our clients have undergone surgeries with poor outcomes resulting in lifelong changes.  It has been particularly difficult for them to find answers in relation to their treatment due to the absence of any formal recall of Mr Parker’s patients and as result it has only been through pursuing claims that many of these clients have received a clear understanding of where their treatment fell below a reasonable standard.   

“We are in discussions with the Trust’s legal representatives and have adopted a collaborative approach to resolve these claims as swiftly and economically as possible with over £1m in damages having already been recovered for our clients.” 

Mr Parker has been struck off by the General Medical Council

Commenting on the news that Mr Jeremy Parker, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon who performed operations at Colchester Hospital (part of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust) and the Oaks Hospital (operated by Ramsay Healthcare UK LTD),  has been struck off by the General Medical Council, Christian Beadell, a Partner and Head of Group Action Claims at Fletchers Solicitors, which represents a large number of affected clients, said:

“The Tribunal confirmed that all the allegations against Mr Parker have been upheld, which supports our clients’ claims that over many years, Mr Parker did not warn patents of the material risks of their treatment. Neither was there any consideration of less invasive alternative treatments, and he failed to carry out surgery to the standard patients should expect. It is a great shame that Mr Parker was not present at the hearing, as our clients hoped for an explanation from him for his actions and some sign of contrition.

“This decision comes as no surprise to us or our clients, some of whom have been injured by Mr Parker and gave evidence to the tribunal. What is surprising is that the Trust  has made no comment at the hearing, nor explained why Mr Parker was able to continue to operate on patients despite having been suspended. It is gravely concerning that, while he was suspended, Mr Parker carried out 33 major hip and knee surgeries.

“We welcome the decision to strike off Mr Parker, but this will come as little consolation to many hundreds of people who have to live with the consequences of his actions. Now that the findings have been published, and action taken, we urge the Trust to accelerate the settlement of ongoing legal claims so that our clients can get on with their lives and try and put these sad events behind them.

“Finally, there may be hundreds of other people in Essex  and the Colchester area who have been affected by Mr Parker’s activities. I urge them to seek expert legal advice; it is a point of law that when people are injured and it is not their fault, for example as a result of a sub-standard surgical procedure, they are entitled to redress.”