What we learned from the Paterson Inquiry

A report has been published following a lengthy inquiry into how a breast surgeon was able to deliberately operate on patients who didn't have the condition.

Ian Paterson is currently serving a 20 year jail sentence after being convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent on 10 victims in 2017.

  • Watch the press conference where the report findings were revealed.

He worked at the Heart of England Foundation Trust and the Spire Parkway and Spire Little Aston private hospitals in the West Midlands.

His victims have been left scared of doctors, unable to breast feed their children, and many of them went through repeat operations, believing they had deadly forms of cancer.

Credit: ITV News Central/Rajiv Popat

The Chair of the Inquiry said today that opportunities to stop Paterson were missed and "It is bewildering that he continued to practice for so long."

In his 232 page report, Right Reverend Graham James, Bishop of Norwich called for

  • A complete recall of all his patients - 6617 at Spire and 4424 breast patients in the NHS. Some will of course already have been reviewed, many won’t have been.

  • He recommended creating a single list of consultants - setting out their practising privileges & performance data that is accessible to the public.

  • He also suggested writing to patients outlining their condition and treatment in simple language.

Here are three new things we learned:

  • The inquiry into jailed breast surgeon Ian Paterson has made 15 recommendations to the Government including addressing gaps in responsibility between NHS and private sector as a priority.

  • As a result of the Paterson lnquiry, three individuals have been referred to the General Medical Council and two to the Nursing and Midwifery Council. One case has been referred to police.

  • The Rt Rev Graham James, Chair of the inquiry said colleagues avoided him or worked around him. There was too much ‘keeping heads down’. He was hiding in plain sight

Spire Healthcare said today,

The NHS Trust said,

Today Ian Paterson said in a statement through his solicitors that he maintains his innocence and is planning to appeal against his criminal convictions.