The Royal College of Physicians review found the unnamed doctor caused 12 cases of severe critical harm and in three cases did not give patients access to treatments which could have extended their lives between 2019 and 2022.

The doctor, who has retired from clinical practice, was found guilty of frequent variability in clinical history taking, delays in referrals of patients for MDT discussion and to tertiary centres, and inaccuracies in the reporting of diagnostic results.

Patients were given non-evidence-based and off-label treatments for ILD, including rapeseed oil avoidance, co-trimoxazole, trimethoprim and advised to avoid flu/Covid vaccinations.

Dr Richard Jennings, group chief medical officer at Epson and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: ‘I offer my sincere apologies to our patients and their families for the harm this has caused – the care they received fell far below what should have been given.  

‘While the Royal College of Physicians' report makes it clear that patients were significantly harmed, it also expresses confidence in the changes we had already made to make the service safe, and we have accepted and acted on all of their recommendations. We have contacted patients or their families to share the findings, apologise, and offer further support.'