At least 20 women had breasts removed that they did not need to lose. That is what an NHS trust in northeastern England has now confirmed, and it is the reason its board has voted to reopen thousands of breast cancer cases going back to 2015.
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust launched its review in April 2025, looking first at patients treated between January 2023 and February 2025. Of roughly 540 cases examined, more than 300 patients had come to harm. One had died. The harm included unnecessary mastectomies, delayed diagnoses and inadequate treatment.
Widening the net
The board approved extending the review to about 4,500 additional cases, working backward one year at a time until 2015. Specialists from other hospitals will help judge whether patients had operations they did not need, waited too long for a diagnosis or got poor care. The trust expects the work to take around five years.
Chief nurse Gill Hunt traced the trouble to 2015, when the service was reorganized and surgical assistant posts were cut. Patient complaints followed, raising concerns about excessive surgery, delayed diagnoses and failure to follow proper medical standards. More than 640 former patients have since called a dedicated helpline asking for their treatment to be reviewed. Some women, the trust has heard, fear that reopening their records will bring the trauma back.
Trust chair Alison Marshall apologized to the women and their families, acknowledged failures in breast services and promised openness throughout.
The surgeon and the police
Consultant surgeon Amir Bhatti was the trust’s clinical lead for breast services from 2013 to 2024. His clinical practice has been restricted while an internal investigation continues. He remains employed on full salary, doing nonclinical work, and has denied performing unnecessary mastectomies. Durham Police is separately investigating possible criminal offenses, with help from the National Crime Agency.
Chief executive Steve Russell said affected patients would get medical follow-up and support. Women who lost a breast unnecessarily could be offered reconstruction. The trust says it has since made changes to prevent a repeat.
Anyone worried about their own breast care should talk to their doctor, or contact the trust’s helpline. Reviews like this exist so that problems are found and fixed, and consulting your doctor remains the first step.
