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At least 20 women underwent unnecessary breast removal surgeries at a National Health Service (NHS) hospital trust in northeastern England, prompting authorities to expand an investigation into thousands of breast cancer cases dating back to 2015.
The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT) confirmed that hundreds of patients suffered harm while receiving treatment at its breast care unit, including women who underwent unnecessary mastectomies, a surgical procedure involving the removal of one or both breasts.
The review, launched in April 2025, initially covered patients treated between January 2023 and February 2025.
Of approximately 540 cases examined, more than 300 patients were found to have suffered harm, while one patient was reported to have died.
Following the findings, the trust's board approved plans to extend the review to approximately 4,500 additional cases, working backward one year at a time until 2015.
The expanded investigation could take around five years, with specialists from other hospitals brought in to help assess whether patients underwent unnecessary operations, experienced delayed diagnoses or received inadequate treatment.
Trust chair Alison Marshall apologized to affected women and their families, acknowledging failures in breast care services and promising transparency throughout the investigation.
Chief nurse Gill Hunt linked the problems to changes introduced in 2015, when the service was reorganized and surgical assistant positions were eliminated. Patient complaints subsequently raised concerns about excessive surgery, delayed diagnoses and failures to follow appropriate medical standards.
More than 640 former patients have contacted a dedicated helpline requesting reviews of their treatment. However, some women have expressed concerns that reopening their medical records could bring back traumatic experiences.
Consultant surgeon Amir Bhatti, who served as the trust's clinical lead for breast services between 2013 and 2024, has had his clinical practice restricted while an internal investigation continues.
Bhatti remains employed by the trust, receiving his full salary while carrying out nonclinical duties. He has denied performing unnecessary mastectomies.
Meanwhile, Durham Police is investigating potential criminal offenses, with assistance from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA).
Trust chief executive Steve Russell said affected patients would receive medical follow-up and support, while women who previously underwent unnecessary breast removal surgery could be offered breast reconstruction, a procedure to rebuild the breast following a mastectomy.
The trust maintains that improvements have since been introduced to prevent similar failures in its breast care services.
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