Twenty women had breasts removed unnecessarily, NHS trust admits
The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has admitted that twenty women underwent unnecessary mastectomies due to failures in their breast cancer treatment unit. The trust is currently reviewing hundreds of cases to address systemic errors and provide support to affected patients.
Why it matters
This incident highlights critical failures in patient safety and diagnostic accuracy within the UK's healthcare system, prompting calls for a public inquiry.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Sharon Barbour , North East & Cumbria health correspondent , Victoria Archer , BBC Local Investigations and Ben Milne Watch: Denise (pictured), Pam and other women describe how they were failed Twenty women underwent mastectomies unnecessarily while being treated for breast cancer, an NHS trust in north-east England has told the 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).
The admission comes in the wake of revelations about serious failures in the unit, as reported by the BBC last year .
Steve Russell, who has recently taken over as CDDFT's chief executive, says he apologises "unreservedly" for the harm the trust caused.
"There are no words I could use to convey how personally distressed I am," he says. "What happened was utterly unacceptable."
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