NHS trust admits twenty unnecessary mastectomies at County Durham breast unit

A review by the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust revealed that twenty women received unnecessary mastectomies during breast-cancer treatment, part of a wider pattern of harm affecting hundreds of patients. Of the 514 cases examined so far, 315 were judged to have caused injury, with 77 classified as significantly harmful and one patient known to have died. Chief executive Steve Russell apologized unreservedly and described the failures as "utterly unacceptable," while the trust works with Durham Police and the National Crime Agency on possible criminal offences.

Former clinical lead Amir Bhatti, who oversaw the care of the affected women, has been suspended from practice but continues to be paid by the trust. The organization is expanding its review to include cases back to 2015, potentially reopening up to 10,000 records, as survivors push for a public inquiry into the unit’s practices.