Hospital group agree to compensate 750 private patients of jailed surgeon
A £37MILLION fund was announced yesterday to compensate about 750 private patients treated by disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson.
Spire Healthcare, who run private hospitals across the UK, will contribute £27.2million to the fund, which is intended to halt legal proceedings against the group by patients.
About £10million will be provided by co-defendants in the case, including Paterson’s insurers.
The 59-year-old, from Glasgow, was jailed for 20 years after he was found guilty in April at Nottingham Crown Court of 17 counts of wounding with intent.
Jurors also convicted Paterson of three further wounding charges.
More than 500 of his private patients had been due to take their case to the High Court next month.
Spire said the settlement was conditional on all parties agreeing – and the court approving – the terms of a formal court order.
They said the order “will conclude all current and known claims from patients against Spire Healthcare and its co-defendants, Ian Paterson and Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust”.
A portion of the fund will be set aside to compensate other former patients who bring legitimate claims before October 30, 2018.
Spire’s interim chief executive Simon Gordon said: “We accept that better clinical governance in the private hospitals where Mr Paterson practised, as well as in his NHS trust, might have led to action being taken sooner, and it is right that we have made a material contribution to the settlement.
“We have apologised unreservedly to Mr Paterson’s patients for their suffering and distress and we would like to repeat that apology.”
Emma Doughty, a specialist medical negligence lawyer from Slater and Gordon, who represent more than 100 of the victims, said: “No financial settlement will ever heal the physical and mental scars inflicted on our clients but they are relieved that they’ve finally won their battle for justice.”
During the trial, which heard from 10 patients treated at private hospitals in the West Midlands between 1997 and 2011, it emerged that Paterson exaggerated or invented cancer risks and claimed payments for more expensive procedures.
He also carried out hundreds of unnecessary operations on NHS patients.
So far, the NHS have paid £17.4million in compensation after receiving 277 claims.