It has been reported that breast cancer surgeon, Ian Paterson, who was convicted in April 2017 of intentionally wounding patients after he carried out extensive and life-changing operations for no medically-justifiable reason, will be sentenced this week and is likely to face jail.
Ian Paterson – Court Proceedings
The trial of Mr Paterson took place over 7 weeks and the accounts of 10 victims, who he had operated on at the Little Aston and Parkway Hospitals in the West Midlands, were heard.
During the trial, evidence was heard confirming that Mr Paterson exaggerated or invented cancer risks to encourage patients to undergo surgery. He also claimed payments for more expensive procedures than actually carried out in some cases.
Ian Paterson was employed by the Heart of England NHS Trust in 1998, although he had previously been suspended from a hospital in Sutton Coldfield. It is reported that in around 2003, Mr Paterson’s colleagues began raising concerns that he was not removing enough breast tissue during lumpectomies and mastectomies.
He had been performing unorthodox and unregulated procedures known as “cleavage-sparing” mastectomy. A routine mastectomy involves the removal of the whole breast, but this procedure left some tissue behind. The major risk with this is that it put the patient at risk of the cancer returning.
It has been reported that Mr Paterson was repeatedly asked to stop carrying out this procedure but, despite this, he continued to use the technique for a number of years.
Despite serious concerns over his practice which had been raised by colleagues and through numerous complaints since 2003, it wasn’t until 2012 that hundreds of Mr Paterson’s patients were recalled. Mr Paterson was eventually suspended by the General Medical Council in October 2012.
It is reported that Ian Paterson operated on more than 4,000 people.
Victims of Mr Paterson believe that he wanted to ‘play God’ with their lives, whilst the Police said that he may also have been driven by financial gain, claiming payment for carrying out each procedure to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
At his trial in April, Mr Paterson was found guilty of 17 counts of wounding with intent and 3 further wounding charges.
The NHS Trust has already paid out compensation to settle the claims of more than 250 patients.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has also announced plans to hold an inquiry into Ian Paterson’s work. Mr Hunt is reported as saying:
“The conviction of Ian Paterson, and recent disclosures about the seriousness and extent of his malpractice, are profoundly shocking. A highly qualified medical professional, with a duty of care for his patients, totally neglected that duty and instead performed unnecessary procedures on a huge number of women.”
This case is truly shocking. It also raises questions over the significant delays on behalf of the NHS Trust and the General Medical Council in acting on the serious concerns and complaints that were raised over a number of years. It is vital that consideration is given as to whether procedures need to be put in place in order to ensure that rogue surgeons are not able to work under the radar but can be identified and investigated as quickly as possible.
There are likely to be hundreds more patients entitled to bring claims for unnecessary or unorthodox surgery at the hands of Mr Paterson.
How Can Nelsons Help?
Danielle Young is an Associate in our Medical Negligence team.
At Nelsons, we have an experienced team of solicitors across our Derby, Leicester and Nottingham offices, who are always happy to discuss the circumstances of your claim and advise you on whether you are likely to be successful.
Please call 0800 024 1976 or contact us via our online form for more information.