National practice lead for clinical negligence at Thompsons Solicitors, Linda Millband, said: “Just three days since the story broke about a recall involving patients of Habib Rahman, and Spire Healthcare is trying to calm stock market jitters.

“Earlier today (27 January 2020), Spire updated investors to say it did not expect claims arising from Mr Rahman’s negligence ‘to have a material financial impact on the Company’.

“The unavoidable impression from Spire’s statement is that while hundreds of former patients are worrying about whether they received unnecessary surgery, it is preoccupied with its share price.

“Spire says it suspended Mr Rahman in January 2019 after ‘concerns with certain shoulder treatments’, and yet it took it until at least December 2019 to recall one patient we have seen. Spire is out of the blocks in days when it comes to the stock market, yet patients have waited months. 

“Despite conceding in its statement to investors that Mr Rahman had ‘practising privileges’ at its hospitals, what Spire is doing - as it did with Ian Paterson - is distancing itself from those patients who received treatment under its roof. We’re now acting for 10 former patients, and are determined that Spire will not get away with washing their hands of this matter.”

Thompsons was the lead solicitor in the civil claims against negligent surgeon, Ian Paterson, who also practised at Spire Parkway Hospital. After helping to secure £37 million in damages for victims, it launched Patients Before Profits – a campaign designed to expose and close dangerous legal loopholes used by private healthcare providers to avoid taking responsibility for negligence. The firm is offering free, no obligation, confidential legal advice to anyone who has received a recall letter from Spire Healthcare or had shoulder manipulation surgery from Mr Habib Rahman on 0800 0 224 224.

Spire’s update to investors can be read here.