Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
What evil breast surgeon did still doesn’t feel real
Victim’s relief at £37m payout
A VICTIM of a disgraced Ulster breast surgeon has said the news she will receive compensation from a £37million fund “doesn’t feel real”.
Around 750 patients treated by Ian Paterson will receive payouts after he was found guilty in April in Nottingham of 17 counts of wounding with intent.
The Co Down medic was jailed for 15 years but his time behind bars was increased to 20 years in August when Court of Appeal judges ruled it was too lenient.
Former pub boss Carole Johnson, 65, underwent seven unnecessary operations on Paterson’s advice from 2000 until he was suspended in 2012.
The Birmingham patient said: “I feel happy we’ve got an ending. But until it’s been completed, I suppose that will be when it’s for real.”
Spire Healthcare, which runs private hospitals in the West Midlands, will contribute £27.2million to the fund.
A further £10million will be provided by Paterson’s insurers and the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.
One of Mrs Johnson’s operations was so rushed that Paterson, who was also convicted of an additional three wounding charges, did not leave any record of it on the hospital’s systems. She said: “It’s still not real he did it. There was no need to have those surgeries done.
“It’s devastating. As a victim you can’t have any trust in the medical profession again. It’s a terrible feeling to be honest.”
The announcement of the fund is intended to halt further legal actions by private patients and account for any new claims made before October 2018. More than 500 people had been due to take their case to the High Court next month.
The trial heard the Bangor medic, who treated thousands during his career, exaggerated or invented cancer risks and claimed payments for more expensive surgeries.
He also carried out hundreds of unnecessary operations on NHS patients.
The health service has so far paid more than £17million in compensation and costs.
The Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust was also part of the civil action after accusations it failed to notify Spire of Paterson’s dangerous practices discovered years earlier.
A lawyer representing 500 victims has criticised Spire, which apologised for patients’ suffering, for its “delaying tactics” in paying out compensation.
As a victim you can’t have any trust in the medical profession CAROLE JOHNSON YESTERDAY