Heart surgeon under investigation after deaths—colleagues questioned her judgement

Karen Booth, a cardiac surgeon with the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, is being investigated after colleagues repeatedly came forward with concerns about her abilities. The BBC has shared an in-depth report on the situation, reviewing years of emails and speaking with multiple parties, including Booth herself. 

According to the BBC, colleagues first shared concerns about Booth back in 2018. For example, other cardiac surgeons warned hospital leadership that she was taking on procedures she was not skilled enough to safely perform. 

The Freeman Hospital ordered an investigation into Booth’s performance in 2021. The families of eight different patients were contacted by the hospital due to specific “failures” that occurred during procedures performed by Booth. Seven of those patients had died and the other patient experienced significant harm. 

The General Medical Council (GMC), responsible for regulating physicians in the UK, eventually stepped in and launched its own investigation, which is still underway. Booth told the BBC she is cooperating with the GMC.

Booth is currently working at the Freeman Hospital in a non-surgical role as that investigation continues. She has also been undergoing additional training, and now it seems that she will soon return to her role as a surgeon. According to the BBC, a group of her colleagues wrote an email about this decision, saying it “shattered trust in ways that cannot be repaired.”

Booth did share a statement with the BBC.

“I continue to express my condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and who have been affected by the matters raised,” she said. "I am grateful to Newcastle Trust and those surgical and wider departmental colleagues who continue to support my reintegration back into full clinical practice."

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