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Twenty women had breasts removed unnecessarily, NHS trust admits
The trust said 77 patients suffered significant harm, while 20 women had unnecessary mastectomies and police are reviewing possible criminal offences.
- County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust admitted 20 women underwent unnecessary mastectomies, suspending consultant Amir Bhatti while the National Crime Agency and Durham Police investigate allegations of criminal wrongdoing.
- Governance specialist Mary Aubrey warned in a 2025 review that outsourcing patient appointments created financial incentives posing "a risk to clinical standards," after the trust paid nearly £6m over six years to private clinics linked to Bhatti.
- Internal reviews of 514 cases between January 2023 and February 2025 identified 315 patients harmed, including 77 significantly harmed, while one patient has died and 640 former patients contacted a dedicated helpline.
- Former patients, including Denise Howarth, are calling for a public inquiry after being told their mastectomies were avoidable, with victims meeting at the Beamish Football Centre in Stanley describing lifelong physical and psychological harm.
- Officials are considering extending the investigation to include records dating back to 2015, potentially involving up to 10,000 files, while Steve Russell, the new chief executive, apologized "unreservedly" for the harm caused.
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‘I suffered multiple failings while I was in active treatment’, says breast cancer patient
County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust has apologised ‘unreservedly’, after admitting that hundreds of breast cancer patients came to harm under their care between 2023 and 2025.
·London, United Kingdom
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A cancer diagnosis is shock enough. Patients then put their lives in the hands of doctors and must be able to trust that any serious procedure is medically necessary. Years later, for at least 20 women in northeastern England, the next message of Job came: their breast should never have been completely removed.
In Great Britain, 20 women undergoing cancer treatment in hospital had their breasts removed unnecessarily.
·Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Total News Sources38
Leaning Left11Leaning Right5Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Left
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources lean Left
42% Left
L 42%
C 39%
R 19%
Factuality
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