An NHS trust in County Durham is prepared to review around 4,500 breast cancer cases spanning more than ten years following admitted failings, according to Sky News. The trust has acknowledged that twenty women underwent breast removal surgery they did not need, the BBC reports.
The scale of the review covers cases handled over a period exceeding a decade, Sky News reports. The BBC has also reported the trust's admission that twenty women had breasts removed unnecessarily.
The Telegraph reports that the failings have been described as "unforgivable," and that thousands of breast cancer cases will now be examined. The Northern Echo reports that there are calls to strip a County Durham NHS boss who was at the helm during the breast surgery scandal of an OBE.
The review represents a significant examination of past clinical practice at the trust, with the number of cases under consideration running into the thousands. The trust has not disputed the figure of 4,500 cases, which was reported by Sky News.
The admission that twenty women underwent unnecessary breast removal surgery is central to the failings now under scrutiny. The review will assess whether other patients received substandard care during the period in question.
The case adds to a growing list of NHS trusts facing retrospective reviews of cancer care, though the specific circumstances at County Durham remain under examination.
What to watch next: whether the trust confirms a formal start date for the review and whether the NHS boss named in calls to lose an OBE faces any official action.
