Breast surgeon could have more victims
A DISGRACED breast surgeon jailed for performing needless operations might have many more victims, campaigners warn as they fear some of his general surgery patients might have been missed.
Cancer survivors operated on by Ian Paterson have called on his old employers to ensure all former patients have been contacted.
Campaigners fear the NHS and private breast treatment reviews carried out so far risk missing out Paterson’s general surgery patients, who had operations such as gall bladder removal.
Paterson was employed by Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) and also worked at hospitals run by Spire Healthcare before he was suspended in 2011.
Reviews were carried out by Spire in 2014 and HEFT in 2013, with the NHS hospital trust saying it had reviewed or cross-checked nearly 24,500 patient records to assess whether Paterson was involved in their care.
Both organisations have paid millions in damages to hundreds of affected cancer patients.
Paterson worked as a consultant at Solihull Hospital from 1998, which became part of HEFT, and did work at private hospitals run by Spire Healthcare from 2007.
Spire and the NHS have said they will fully co-operate with the new inquiry, with HEFT saying it was to ensure “all patients are given the most appropriate follow-up care”.
Deborah Douglas, who helps run the Breast Friends support group, said: “The big thing now is how many other people were affected. We want those facts – we want those figures.”
Paterson, then 59, was found guilty in April at Nottingham Crown Court of 17 counts of wounding with intent, after carrying out “cleavage-sparing mastectomies”, leaving patients at risk of cancer, and other procedures.
He was jailed for 15 years, increased to 20 years on appeal after a judge ruled the original term “unduly lenient”.
In December, the Department of Health announced a broader independent inquiry into Paterson’s malpractice and the wider lessons to be learned, falling short of the full public inquiry campaigners wanted.