County Durham NHS trust to review up to 4,500 more breast cancer cases after service failures
Hospital leaders in County Durham will expand a review to as many as 4,500 additional breast-cancer cases after a probe uncovered delayed diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries.
Hospital executives at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust have decided to broaden their ongoing review to include up to 4,500 additional breast-cancer cases after an earlier audit revealed serious shortcomings, including delayed diagnoses, unnecessary operations and treatment that fell short of best practice. The expanded review will examine records back to 2015, the year a service reconfiguration eliminated breast-surgical trainee posts, according to chief nurse Gill Hunt.
Over subsequent years, the Northern Cancer Alliance, the Care Quality Commission and NHS England flagged multiple concerns about the trust’s breast services. At an extraordinary board meeting, chair Alison Marshall offered a sincere apology to the women and families harmed, acknowledging the impact while pledging openness and transparency. Hundreds of patients have been reported to have suffered harm, with some describing the experience as “absolutely unforgivable.” The trust said it cannot reverse the past but will fully investigate the additional cases.
Why it matters
Hundreds of women were harmed by NHS breast-cancer service failures, prompting a large-scale case review.
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