Andy Burnham promises ‘answers’ for women affected by breast cancer scandal at County Durham hospital trust
The Prime Minister has promised women affected by County Durham’s breast surgery scandal they will get the “support and the answers” they need.
Scandal-hit County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust was raised at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (November 11).
City of Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy said the trust had been “mired in a number of controversies” in recent years, including the ongoing problems in breast services.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “I know there are thousands of women in the North East affected by the breast surgery scandal that she mentions, and I will ensure that the Health Secretary provides all of the support that they need to get the support and the answers that they must have.”
Breast cancer care at the trust has been under the spotlight after an independent review identified a decade of missed warnings, ignored red flags and “systemic failures”.
The review initially found 51 women had been harmed, but the trust has since identified hundreds of patients who suffered harm, including 20 women who underwent unnecessary mastectomies.
Rachel Gray, 41, from Sunderland, said she was left “sick to the stomach” after she found out she was among those found to have undergone an unnecessary mastectomy when she was 37.
Former breast surgery lead Dr Amir Bhatti was barred from carrying out surgery in February 2025 but remains employed by the trust and is currently on sick leave on full pay.
The trust has since agreed to extend its review of breast care, which currently covers patients treated between January 2023 and February 2025.
It will next examine cases from 2022 before working backwards year by year to 2015, potentially covering around 4,500 women.
This work could take five years, meaning some women treated in 2015 may have to wait until 2031 for their cases to be examined.
Ms Foy also used PMQs to raise concerns about the future of University Hospital North Durham after plans for its long-promised A&E extension stalled.
She said: “The latest disappointment for my constituents is the withdrawal of the planned A&E expansion, which the trust can no longer fund without external capital support.”
The Prime Minister said he would meet with Ms Foy to discuss the hospital.
Planning permissions for an extension to the A&E granted in 2017 and 2023 have both expired and health bosses have admitted there is no funding in place to deliver the development.