Leading Bristol spinal surgeon faces GMC Tribunal into misconduct and dishonesty claims

With less than a month before the start of the tribunal hearing, the GMC’s Medical Tribunal has published details of allegations in respect of Mr John Hutchinson’s private practice at the Bristol Spire hospital.

Our specialist Medical Negligence department is assisting a number of his former patients in respect of their treatment.

What are the allegations against Mr Hutchinson?

During the 25-day hearing between 17^th June and 18^th August 2023, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal will consider allegations that Spinal Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Hutchinson, failed to provide good clinical care to nine patients between 2014 and 2018. In addition, the Tribunal will consider 17 occasions when he used incorrect coding for surgery remuneration, knowing that this would result in an overpayment.

Bristol Spire Hospital revoked Mr Hutchinson’s practising privileges in 2019 and began recalling patients through a precautionary patient notification exercise. As well as an extensive private practice operating at the Spire Hospital in Bristol, Mr Hutchinson was also a leading NHS consultant at Southmead Hospital, of North Bristol NHS Trust.

Since April 2022, the General Medical Council (GMC) imposed conditions on Mr Hutchinson’s right to practice, such as being closely observed by a clinical supervisor in all work and only being able to practice at North Bristol NHS Trust.

Following a Freedom of Information Act request made in December 2022, we identified that he has remained employed by North Bristol NHS Trust but was not involved in any surgical procedures. At that stage, the Trust refused to disclose whether he was undertaking any clinical duties.

In June of 2022, Mr Hutchinson’s company, M John Hutchinson Ltd, was dissolved. This was most likely the business used to manage his specialist medical practice activities. The last full set of accounts filed at the company’s house declared net assets in Mr Hutchinson’s business in excess of £1.5m. The former registered office for his company is now on the market for over £2.5m.

Many of his former private patients became NHS patients and, as a result of their alleged injuries, often experience prolonged care, or admission to hospital and further surgery to put things right.

Have you been treated by John Hutchinson?

If you are a previous patient of Mr Hutchinson and are contacted by the NHS or Spire Healthcare, we recommend that you respond and go for any suggested re-examinations.

Barcan+Kirby’s specialist Clinical Negligence team is assisting multiple clients to claim financial compensation for the pain and suffering allegedly caused by Mr Hutchinson. Our team has extensive experience in successfully supporting victims of medical negligence and malpractice, especially with orthopaedic surgery compensation claims.

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Our medical negligence solicitors represent the majority of our clients on a no-win, no-fee basis. Also known as a ‘conditional fee agreement’, this provides you with some protection against financial risk when starting a claim.

Read more about ways to fund a medical negligence claim.

How we can help

If you’ve suffered from negligent medical treatment, our medical negligence solicitors are here to help. We work with clients all over England and Wales, and we regularly travel to see our clients.

For an informal discussion about a potential medical negligence claim with a member of our team, call us on 0117 325 2929 or complete our online enquiry form.