Hospital bosses ignored complaints about breast surgeon for years

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The jury was not told of Sir Ian's report on Ian Paterson. Credit: BPM Media

Complaints about jailed surgeon Ian Paterson had been made for years - but managers at the NHS trust which employed him 'preferred good news to true news' according to a 2013 report.

Bosses at Heart of England NHS Trust failed hundreds of breast cancer patients, the probe by lawyer Sir Ian Kennedy found.

Paterson, who has been suspended by the General Medical Council, was allowed to carry on operating for several years despite serious concerns raised about him by other staff, the report said.

Sir Ian published his findings in December 2013 - more than three years before Paterson stood trial.

The report said Paterson carried out inadequate partial mastectomies on many women, which he defended by saying he had left behind 'fatty tissue' to give the women a more 'satisfying aesthetic appearance'.

The hospital trust offered an unreserved apology to all patients and theirrelatives following the report's publication.

The jury was not told of Sir Ian's report.