AN independent review will be carried out to find out if there are any systematic failures at the Hospital following the acquittal of Dr Dolores Moyano Ontiveros.

Mike Pollard, the chief executive of Health and Social Services, said that an expert, possibly from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, would lead the Serious Untoward Incident review, along with an individual experienced in leading similar reviews in the UK.

The news comes after the not guilty verdict in the trial of Dr Moyano, who was charged with causing the death of staff nurse Elizabeth Rourke on 17 October 2006 following a routine operation known as a hysteroscopy.

The review will study what happened on that fateful day right through to the Royal Court proceedings and replaces the initial internal investigation that was launched at the time of Mrs Rourke’s death and that was suspended until the trial was completed.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Mr Pollard (pictured) said: ‘This inquiry is very important and these are extraordinary circumstances, as there has never been an unexplained death during surgery in the Hospital before. We will be making public our findings of that inquiry, as we need to be open and transparent.
‘As any organisation, we do learn from tragedy and near-misses and mistakes.’