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Hospital officials in County Durham are reviewing up to 4,500 breast cancer cases after discovering issues such as delayed diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries that harmed hundreds of patients since 2015. The initial review of 538 cases from January 2023 to February 2025 found that 321 had experienced harm, including one death. At an extraordinary board meeting, members offered apologies for the failings and pledged transparency moving forward. Chief nurse Gill Hunt highlighted concerns raised since 2015 regarding misaligned treatment practices, excessive surgeries, and delayed diagnoses.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust agreed to review up to 4,500 additional breast cancer cases after discovering failings such as delayed diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries. The initial review, dating back to January 2023, found that hundreds of patients were harmed by the trust's mistakes. At an extraordinary board meeting in Durham, chair Alison Marshall apologized for the harm caused. The expanded investigation will now include cases from 2015 onwards, potentially affecting over 5,000 women and expected to take five years. Patients like Denise Howarth have described their experiences as being "butchered" and feeling "mutilated." The trust acknowledged concerns raised in 2015 about a service reconfiguration that resulted in the loss of breast surgical trainee positions.
Written for “NHS Breast Cancer Review” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Hospital chiefs in County Durham have agreed to review up to a further 4,500 breast cancer cases after failings including delayed diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries were found.
asserted
failings → publish → diagnoses
Hundreds of patients suffered harm under County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, according to a review of cases dating back to 2023.
uncertain
Hundreds → suffer → 2023
The BBC has spoken to multiple women affected by the failings, including one who said she felt "mutilated" and the trust's mistakes were "absolutely unforgivable".
asserted
mistakes → speak → one
Ahead of agreeing to expand the review to cases dating back to 2015, members of the trust's board offered "sincere" apologies for the failings and harm caused.
asserted
members → agree → failings
At an extraordinary meeting of the board held in Durham, board chair Alison Marshall said: "I would like to offer a sincere apology to all the women and their families who have been affected by the failings in our breast services.
"
asserted
who → hold → services
I can't imagine the impact that has had."
asserted
that → imagine → impact
She said they could "not turn back the clock" but would be "open, honest and transparent" about the failings.
uncertain
they → say → failings
Chief nurse Gill Hunt told the board concerns were first raised in 2015 after a "service reconfiguration" and loss of breast surgical trainee posts.
asserted
concerns → tell → posts
Over the following years patients and bodies such as the Northern Cancer Alliance, Care Quality Commission and NHS England raised multiple issues, she said.
asserted
she → follow → issues
The key "themes" included treatment "not aligned to best practice", excessive surgery and delayed diagnosis, she said.
asserted
she → include → practice
The trust's breast surgery lookback review began in April 2025 by examining cases between January 2023 and February 2025.
asserted
review → begin → January
Hunt said 538 cases had been reviewed so far with 321 having experienced some form of harm, including one death.
asserted
321 → say → death
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
asserted
details → break → ?
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App.
asserted
You → receive → App
You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X, external to get the latest alerts.
asserted
You → follow → alerts
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