A period of retraining took place. With hindsight, it is now clear that the cathartic effect of the retraining was to bring back the lost confidence rather than correcting “mistakes”. The surgical techniques and the procedural protocols in use today are the same we used then. For the medical profession to become more open about its failures, and to learn from them, the media has a part to play in encouraging that, without rushing to blame.
Marc de Leval
Professor of Cardiothoracic
Surgery, Great Ormond Street
Hospital for Children