BBC News
· collected 2026-09-18 · by Sharon Barbour, Victoria Archer, Ben Milne
An NHS trust in north-east England has admitted that twenty women underwent unnecessary mastectomies while being treated for breast cancer. This admission follows broader revelations about serious failures at the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT) breast unit, affecting hundreds of patients between January 2023 and February 2025. Steve Russell, CDDFT's chief executive, apologized unreservedly, stating that what happened was "utterly unacceptable." The trust is conducting an internal review of cases, finding that out of 514 reviewed so far, 315 patients suffered harm, including seven who died and seventy-seven significantly harmed.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
- Published
Twenty women underwent mastectomies unnecessarily while being treated for breast cancer, an NHS trust in north-east England has told the BBC.
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trust → publish → BBC
They were among hundreds of patients who came to harm during treatment at the breast unit of the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT).
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who → come → Trust
The admission comes in the wake of revelations about serious failures in the unit, as reported by the BBC last year.
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admission → come → BBC
Steve Russell, who has recently taken over as CDDFT's chief executive, says he apologises "unreservedly" for the harm the trust caused.
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trust → take → harm
"There are no words I could use to convey how personally distressed I am," he says.
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he → be → ?
"What happened was utterly unacceptable."
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happened → happen → ?
Dozens of affected women and their families contacted us following our earlier reporting.
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Dozens → affect → reporting
Patients described the shock they had felt on being told a mastectomy (the removal of all or part of a breast) could have been avoided, as well as the psychological and physical pain that many still live with.
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many → describe → that
We also met former patients who have come together to support each other and call for a public inquiry.
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who → meet → inquiry
CDDFT is now carrying out an internal review of breast cancer cases between January 2023 and February 2025, alongside the cases of 640 former patients who contacted a dedicated helpline.
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who → carry → helpline
Of 514 cases reviewed by the trust so far, 315 patients have been found to have suffered harm, including 77 who were significantly harmed.
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who → review → 77
One patient is known to have died.
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patient → know → ?
Cases have also been identified where cancer diagnoses were missed or delayed.
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diagnoses → identify → ?
Some of these patients subsequently saw their cancer spread, says Russell.
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Russell → see → patients
The BBC understands a decision is imminent on whether to extend the scope of the review, and look at cases dating back to 2015. This could mean the re-opening of up to 10,000 medical records.
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This → understand → records
The National Crime Agency says it is now working with Durham Police to investigate allegations by former patients and determine if any criminal offences have taken place.
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offences → say → place
Denise Howarth is one of several women who have now been told by the NHS that their breast was removed unnecessarily.
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breast → tell → NHS
"I was just in shock, then ended up in tears on the phone," says the 51-year-old from Consett, County Durham.
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old → end → Consett
Denise had been diagnosed with grade 1 (slow growing) cancer in 2023 after discovering a lump in her breast.
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Denise → diagnose → breast
She initially underwent a lumpectomy, then a mastectomy, as well as eight rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
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She → undergo → chemotherapy
The call she received from the NHS in September 2025 was quickly followed by a letter from CDDFT.
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she → receive → CDDFT
It said that Denise could have been offered a second lumpectomy rather than full breast removal, but acknowledged the option had never been discussed with her.
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option → say → her
She says the apology was "all good and well" but will not bring her breast back.
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apology → say → breast
Jo (not her real name) contacted the trust's helpline about a mastectomy she had undergone in 2021.
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she → contact → 2021
The former NHS worker says she was told, in a phone call earlier this year, that the procedure could have been avoided.
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procedure → say → call
Jo says she had trusted the people she considered colleagues to do the best for her.
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colleagues → say → her
"You go to work to do your best, don't you?" she says.
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she → go → best
"So why would I think that anybody else wouldn't?"
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anybody → think → ?
She now says she feels "mutilated" by what happened to her, and feels the mistakes made by the trust were "absolutely unforgivable".
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mistakes → say → trust
The consultant overseeing Jo and Denise's care was Mr Amir Bhatti, who was CDDFT's clinical lead for breast services from 2013-24.
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who → oversee → 2013
He has now been suspended from carrying out clinical practice but is still employed by the trust on full pay.
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He → suspend → pay
Last year, we reported that nearly £6m had been paid by the trust over six years to breast cancer diagnostic clinics and surgery companies run privately by Bhatti.
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m → report → Bhatti
Concern about this arrangement was raised in a 2025 review into the running of the trust, external, carried out by governance specialist Mary Aubrey,
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Concern → raise → Aubrey
She said outsourcing patient appointments had created financial incentives which were potentially "a risk to clinical standards".
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which → say → standards
Payment per service is not uncommon in healthcare, Russell argues, although he tells us the trust has now ended this arrangement for breast cancer services.
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trust → argue → services
"We recognise there was a conflict of interest that wasn't managed properly," he says.
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he → recognise → interest
Pam Brown from Durham was an NHS patient who underwent a mastectomy in 2022 at Spire Hospital in Washington, where one of the outsourced private clinics was based.
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one → undergo → clinics
As with Denise and Jo, Pam does not know who carried out her operation.
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who → know → operation
Bhatti was the consultant overseeing the care of all three women.
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Bhatti → oversee → women
As far as Pam knows, her mastectomy was necessary.
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mastectomy → know → ?
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
