Botched breast ops surgeon probed over women’s deaths
FOUR women treated by rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson may have died from his botched treatment and “systemic failings” in the NHS, an inquest heard.
Ian Paterson, 61, is serving a 20-year jail term for carrying out “needless” and damaging procedures on his victims between 1997 and 2011.
The surgeon “played God” and “exaggerated or invented” risks of tumours so he could earn extra money and maintain his reputation.
He left male and female patients significantly deformed, with one looking like a “car crash victim”.
He had told them they were at risk from cancer even though they were healthy.
An independent inquiry in February found “patients were let down over many years” by the NHS and independent providers.The damning report found Paterson was able to continue due to a “culture of avoidance and denial” and a “wilful blindness” from staff.
It was found he may have harmed more than 750 women while working with cancer patients at NHS and private hospitals in theWest Midlands over 14 years.
Now fresh inquests will examine the “unnatural deaths” of four women three years after Paterson was jailed for 17 counts of wounding with intent.
Louise Hunt, senior coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, said yesterday that further inquests into other victims of the convicted surgeon were “likely”. She added: “We expect that investigations will find generic issues common to all the cases.The most sensible way to investigate this number of cases is to investigate them all together.”
Deborah Hynes, 51,Yvonne Cordon, 39, Shionagh Gough, 73, and Marie Pinfield, 49, were all patients of Paterson.
Mrs Hynes, from Sutton Coldfield, died in 2013.
At the time, her death was recorded as being due to metastatic breast cancer.
Mrs Corden, a cleaner from Birmingham, died at a hospice in 2000.
Mrs Gough, a former purser from Henley-in-Arden, died at a nursing home in 2006 and Ms Pinfield, a police officer from Solihull, died in 2008.At
Birmingham Coroners Court Ms Hunt opened and adjourned hearings into the deaths and said all the cases will be investigated together.
She said the new inquests “will consider the care provided by Mr Paterson and other clinicians”.
The court heard hospital management will also be probed to check if “systemic failings” led to any fatalities.
Ms Hunt said: “It will also consider whether their deaths were contributed to by failings in the supervision of Mr Paterson…whether there were systemic failings by the hospital management and corporate governance in relation to addressing concerns raised.”
Paterson was employed by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, but practised at Spire Hospitals in Solihull and Little Aston in theWest Midlands.
The inquests will consider whether ‘systemic failings’ led to any deaths