NHS breast cancer review exposes years of failings

An English health trust has admitted that 20 women had breasts removed when they did not need it. The finding comes from a wide review of past cases. County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust runs the service. Hundreds of other patients were also harmed. The trust has issued a public apology.

The review has looked at 539 cases so far. Of those, 242 involved minor harm. Another 59 involved moderate harm. Nineteen cases involved severe harm. One patient has died, and that death is being examined.

The figures break down in other ways too. In 38 cases the treatment did not match best practice. That group includes women who were not offered immediate reconstruction. It also includes surgery on harmless lumps. Some patients faced outdated tests that caused harm.

A further 32 cases involved what the trust calls excessive surgery. Within that group sit the 20 needless operations. Twenty separate cases involved a delayed diagnosis. A delay can allow the disease to spread. That is one of the most serious failings in cancer care.

The problems were first flagged by an outside review. The Royal College of Surgeons was asked to look at the service. Its team found missed cancers and surgery that may not have been needed. It found patients who were not offered chemotherapy. It also found lymph nodes removed without clear need.

A second review looked at how the trust was run. It found problems stretching back to 2012. That was the year the trust lost its status as a training centre for breast surgery. Concerns had been raised for more than a decade. The review said the failures hurt patients and staff alike.

The scale may yet grow. The trust is examining records of nearly 1,600 patients treated since 2023. A board meeting next week will decide whether to go further back. That would mean reviewing thousands more cases from 2015 onward. A helpline for worried patients has taken more than 600 calls.

Patients have begun to speak out. Denise Howarth, 51, from Consett, was diagnosed in early 2023. She had a lumpectomy, then a mastectomy, then chemotherapy and radiotherapy. A later letter told her a second lumpectomy could have been offered instead. She is one of many now asking hard questions.

Another former patient, Kate Driver, has called for a public inquiry. She says her own diagnosis was delayed. She was not offered reconstruction. She believes families deserve the full truth. Others have echoed that demand.

Research adds weight to the concerns. Work from 2024 showed that almost half of women diagnosed at the trust had a mastectomy. The average across the country is around 27 per cent. Only 7.5 per cent of those operations were followed by immediate reconstruction. The recommended minimum is 25 per cent.

Steve Russell became chief executive last year. He said the trust is deeply sorry to the women and families who were let down. He has said the service today is very different. New staff and new checks are in place. He has repeated his apology several times.

Police are also involved. Durham Police is looking at whether any criminal offence took place. That work runs alongside the clinical reviews. No charges have been brought. The former clinical lead has said he cannot discuss individual cases because of patient privacy.

Law firms report a surge of enquiries. One solicitor said the women she has spoken to received appalling care. She believes thousands could be affected. Her firm is acting for a growing group. Many of those women want an inquiry rather than money.

Other hospitals are feeling the effect. Waiting lists at a nearby trust have risen sharply as referrals shift. One local service saw its list grow from 561 to 792 in a year. Extra clinics are being held. Managers say they are working to keep waits down.

For patients, the advice remains clear. Anyone with a concern should contact the trust helpline. Anyone with a new symptom should see a doctor without delay. Breast cancer outcomes are strongly linked to early treatment. That message has not changed.