We are supporting over 25 patients affected by the actions of Dr Iuliu Stan. If you are worried about the care you or a loved one received, contact us today for a free, confidential conversation.
In January 2024 of a number of patients were told by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust that Dr Stan, a doctor who had treated them 4-5 years earlier whilst they were patients at Treliske Hospital, was being investigated by the General Medical Council and there was a hearing of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) to review his fitness to practice.
He was struck off the medical register and it was found that he had subjected patients to unnecessary, invasive and intimate procedures, including the administration of rectal medication for his own sexual gratification.
On 3 July 2024 the Trust then wrote to more former patients to tell them Dr Stan had given them rectal medication when they were in hospital and that in other cases the MPTS had found his actions had been sexually motivated. No further details were given but this has led to many of those patients reaching the conclusion that Dr Stan’s treatment of them had been sexually motivated.
We do not know how many patients may have received this letter or why it is only now that they are being told about what happened. We know that Dr Stan, over a five-year period, had administered rectal medication on 277 occasions. Of these only once was to a female patient. Therefore, if the Trust have chosen to write to patients who had been given rectal medication by Dr Stan, the number of people receiving this latest letter could be in the hundreds. However, it is important to recognise that Dr Stan’s actions were not limited to giving rectal medication. There is evidence of carrying out intimate examinations, inserting catheters and other invasive procedures. Therefore, there are likely to be many more victims of Dr Stan who have not been identified and many who will be worried about what happened to them whilst they were in hospital.
Gary Walker, partner and Abuse lawyer, said: “I am concerned that the Trust have chosen to write to patients at the address where they were living when they were in hospital (which could be up to 9 years ago). I have spoken to a number of patients who had moved and only fortuitously received their letter. There could well be many letters which have been sent to the wrong address. It would not have been difficult for the Trust to make sure they were writing to the correct address.
The letter received by the patients was extremely vague and has left many of the patients I have spoken to with lots of unanswered questions and concerns and with nowhere to turn. This was made worse by the Trust forgetting to include the information leaflets they had referred in their letter. Some patients have contacted contact the Trust through the details given in the letter. I have not spoken to any patient who has had a response from the Trust to their email or telephone message. My clients have talked about the importance of the Trust learning lessons from their handling of this and demonstrate a more empathetic and trauma-informed approach when dealing with difficult and sensitive issues in the future.
The Trust have offered no support of counselling to the patients despite being asked by many patients. Some patients are having to pay for counselling at their own expense. Making sure that a package of support and counselling is available to those affected by Dr Stan’s actions is vital and must be a priority for the Trust.
The more I learn about the scope of Dr Stan’s actions from talking to the patients the more incredible I find it that no concerns were raised before September 2020. Given what we know and the fact that he was breaching Trust policies for such a long time it is difficult to imagine that no-one noticed anything untoward and I also question whether the policies are fit for purpose. I am supporting patients to make sure there is a thorough and effective investigation; to find out how Dr Stan was able to get away with what he did for so long, to review policies and procedures and to try and learn lessons to prevent something similar happening again.”
If you are worried about the care you or a loved one received, contact us today for a free, confidential conversation.
