Women 'traumatised' by breast cancer treatment at North East NHS trust
Breast cancer patients suffered unnecessary mastectomies, delayed diagnoses and a lack of compassionate care at a North East NHS Trust, according to a new BBC documentary.
More than 200 cases are now being investigated at County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT) - 43 of these are reported to involve significant harm. One death is also being examined.
Women have told the BBC Local Investigations team they were left feeling "butchered" by surgery, while a leading expert says that what went on at the trust was "a textbook example of how not to carry out breast cancer management".
In addition, the documentary discovered that nearly £6m was paid out by the trust to clinics run privately by its main breast cancer surgeon.
In total, medical records of nearly 1,600 patients treated since 2023 are now being examined following concerns about the service the trust offered.
An independent review into the running of CDDFT, carried out by governance specialist Mary Aubrey, has also been published this week. Among the shortcomings it highlights are:
- Outdated clinical practices that did not meet guidance on best practice, and led to delayed diagnosis and cancers being missed
- A high rate of "re-excision" (repeated procedures) and low uptake of breast reconstruction immediately after mastectomy
- Operations that may have been carried out "too quickly"
- Outsourcing of many patient appointments in a manner that created a "conflict of interests" and "posed a risk to clinical standards"
Hidden Scars: An NHS Scandal will broadcast on BBC One in the North East region on Friday 28 November at 7:30pm and will be available on BBC iPlayer.