Three people died under the care of the doctor who gave outdated and incorrect medical advice, including not to get vaccinated and to avoid rapeseed oil
Three people died, and others suffered permanent harm while under the care of a consultant who was giving outdated and incorrect medical advice, a review has found. Dr Veronica Varney told her patients, who suffered from lung disorders, to avoid the flu jab and rapeseed oil, while she was working at St Helier Hospital in south London.
She was let go by St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group (Gesh) in 2023 and referred to the General Medical Council. The following year, the trust commissioned a review into Dr Varney’s treatment of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD), a term for more than 200 conditions which cause progressive inflammation and scarring in the lung tissue.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) investigation looked at 28 cases between 2019 and 2022. Treating ILD requires a personalised plan by a multidisciplinary team, which the review found Dr Varney did not engage with.
The report said she “frequently” recommended off-label treatments and gave non-evidence-based advice for patients, such as telling them not to get vaccinated against flu or Covid-19, and to avoid rapeseed oil.
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.
