15 Feb BREAST CANCER RECALL SCANDAL: “It is likely some of the patients will need further investigation and or treatment…”
PATIENTS who fell victim to one of the worst NHS scandals ever witnessed could require additional medical treatment, according to a solicitor who has specialised in the case.
Nisha Sharma said it was now “vital” that former patients of jailed breast-surgeon Ian Paterson received support and advice.
Paterson was back in the news earlier this month after Spire Healthcare announced it was recalling a further 1,500 patients treated by him between 1993 and the early 2000s.
The organisation runs Spire Parkway hospital and Spire Little Aston hospital in the West Midlands, where Paterson is known to have treated thousands of people.
The recall was the result of the discovery of an old database containing previously unknown patient records of people who might have had inappropriate or unnecessary treatment at the hands of the infamous surgeon.
Commenting on the development Ms Sharma, a partner with law firm Taylor Rose MW who has supported victims, said: “I have dealt with many claims for women treated by Mr Paterson. The patients who have recently received a letter from Spire, will no doubt feel anxious and confused.
“However, patients should remember receiving a letter does not necessarily mean that the treatment you received was wrong or that you are at an increased risk.
“But of course, this is a real possibility, and it is likely that some of the patients will need further investigation and or treatment.
“There is a good chance that some of these patients have received substandard treatment and the implications of this could be serious.
“In addition, I imagine it is difficult to take advice from an organisation which has failed so many of Mr Paterson’s patients as he worked freely at Spire for many years before being found out.
“That’s why it’s important these patients need independent advice, whether that is legal advice or from an independent medical team, for their peace of mind and to try and make sense of what they are being told.”
Criticising the way Spire has handled the matter she continued: “Hundreds of patients succeeded in obtaining compensation for the negligent treatment they had received. It is extremely disappointing to see that the Spire have uncovered this additional information at this late stage which indicates that their initial investigation did not go far enough.”
Paterson is currently in prison serving a 20-year sentence after being prosecuted for wounding with intent and unlawful wounding.
The sentences were passed after Paterson was investigated by the police and the General Medical Council (GMC) for operating on hundreds of breast cancer patients.
Often Paterson was found to have been performing operations which were completely unnecessary and also for carrying out mastectomies incorrectly, leaving behind dangerous breast tissue which should have been removed, characterising the operation as “cleavage sparing”.
