Dr Michael Watt: Patients react to report findings

Patients who were affected by the Independent Neurology Inquiry have been giving their reaction after the publication of the report on Tuesday.

It found the Belfast Trust failed to intervene quickly enough in the practice of former consultant Michael Watt.

More than 5,000 former patients were recalled to be examined for potential misdiagnoses.

It was the largest patient recall of its kind in Northern Ireland.

The inquiry found patterns in his work were missed for a decade.

"This report is just making known what the situation is. This isn't the end of the road, this is the beginning.

"We have been harmed by inaction and we now know that the Belfast Trust had the information that would have prevented the harm to all of us.

"It had the information and sat on it.

"We want to know 'what are they going to do?'

"We do not want people from the Belfast Trust coming forward and saying, 'Lessons will be learned'.

"We're not interested in that. We want accountability. Not just corporate accountability, we want personal accountability."

"Michael Watt failed us, the Belfast Trust failed us, the Department of Health failed us, the GMC (General Medical Council) failed every single patient caught up in this scandal.

"They should all do the honourable thing, hang their heads in shame and resign.

"We would implore the minister, at his earliest convenience to implement these recommendations.

"We also now more than ever, we need a duty of candour implemented in order to protect people."

"We're grateful that we got to this stage, it has taken a lot of hard work on behalf of patients to get us to this point.

"We're grateful for the work that has been put in and I must admit we're not really surprised there were complaints way before 2016 and the Belfast Trust has failed us in not acting on those complaints.

"If they had acted when those complaints happened, way back, we wouldn't be standing here today.

"A lot of those people standing here today know that they never would have had the traumatic experiences that they did have if the Belfast Trust had done its job."

The Belfast Trust's chief executive welcomed the publication of the report.

Dr Cathy Jack said: "The Belfast Trust let you down and many of you have suffered avoidable and unnecessary harm as a result, whether that was through being given a diagnosis that was not correct, receiving incorrect treatment or medication, or having a procedure you did not need.

"For that, I am truly sorry."

The Department of Health is expected to make a statement on Tuesday afternoon.