Breast cancer scandal victims demand inquiry

Two breast cancer patients who said their lives were put at risk by a hospital trust have launched a petition calling for a public inquiry.

Nadeen Lister and Amelia Green, once friends before losing touch, said they were brought together through their experiences of care by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT).

A report published last year found multiple failings in breast cancer services at the trust including missed cancers and unnecessary mastectomies.

The BBC has learned 270 women have been harmed, 45 moderately and 19 severely, including one death. The trust has apologised and said improvements have been made, including "strengthened clinical leadership".

About 1,500 medical records are currently being reviewed from between 2023 and 2025.

Durham Police said it was investigating whether any criminal offences had been committed.

Amelia Green's sister Michaela, who had breast cancer and was cared for by the same trust, died in 2009.

She said the trust told her her sister's medical notes had been lost.

The 42-year-old said she found a lump in her breast in January 2019, and was terrified.

She was referred to Mr Amir Bhatti, the former clinical lead for breast cancer who has been stopped from seeing patients while investigations at the trust take place.

Earlier this month, the High Court rejected an attempt by Bhatti to overturn restrictions placed on his clinical practice by CDDFT.

The court heard they were introduced in February 2025 following patient safety concerns linked to the trust's breast surgery investigation.

The restrictions were later widened to prevent him carrying out any clinical practice over concerns about his refusal to fully engage with retraining measures.

The judgment found there was "no serious issue" with the trust's decisions, which it said were "based on patient safety concerns and ongoing investigations".

Bhatti said he was cooperating with the trust's investigations and he could not comment while they were ongoing.

He is still employed by the trust on full pay while an investigation continues.

Amelia, who was seen by Bhatti, said: "He filled in a questionnaire and asked if I had a family history.

"I said yes, my sister had cancer and he said 'you'll know it's nothing to worry about then. I said actually, my sister's dead.'"

She said she was later told she had a stage three aggressive form of cancer, but was unhappy with the treatment plan.

She said she asked Bhatti if she could have a second opinion.

"I asked if I could be referred to another trust and he said no."

Later Amelia said she received a phone call from another hospital offering her an appointment.

"Someone had enabled that referral, but I don't know who," she said.

She underwent surgery in Newcastle in February 2019.

"It was dangerous cancer that I'd already been left with for longer than I should have been," she said.

She said the trust had since apologised.

Nadeen Lister said she was in the shower when she found a lump in 2017.

"I found what I would say was a grape-sized lump on the top of my left breast," she said.

She was referred by her GP to an urgent, NHS two-week-wait clinic.

She said Bhatti asked her to go behind a curtain, take her bra off and lie on the bed.

"He just came in, pulled the curtain back and started examining me," the 53-year-old said.

"He said I had a mobile lump, that it was probably fatty tissue.

"He told me to come back if anything changed - but that it was nothing to worry about."

Nadeen was delighted and celebrated with her family and friends.

But over the following months, she said the lump grew to the size of an orange.

"I noticed my left breast just felt as if it was in the way when I moved my arm," she said.

She went back to the GP, who put her on the urgent cancer pathway again.

She had tests with a different doctor, but when she was called back for her results it was Bhatti who told her she had two tumours.

"I couldn't believe it," she said.

"I said 'no, I was here in February and I was told it was fatty tissue.'"

At a later appointment, the consultant told Nadeen he needed to remove her breast.

She said if she had not returned to her GP she would have died.

"I wouldn't be here now," she said.

She believes Bhatti should have carried out a biopsy of the lump during the first appointment.

The two women want a public inquiry and their petition has so far attracted 1,200 signatures.

"We just want to make people aware of what's happened," Nadeen said.

The trust said it wanted to support the patients it had let down, including offering psychological support and ensuring they know how to make a claim or raise concerns with police.

A spokesperson for CDDFT said: "The trust would like to again offer its sincere apology to patients and families affected by the issues identified within our breast services.

"We recognise the distress and uncertainty this has caused and remain committed to being open and transparent."

They said since the review began they had introduced "additional specialist workforce and revised clinical pathways to support safe, high-quality care for patients".

They also said the trust was now performing better than the national average across three key indicators of breast surgery care.

These include improvements in breast-conserving surgery rates, reduced re-excision rates and increased access to immediate reconstruction following surgery.

Amelia added: "There are thousands of women affected and I want to know why the NHS allowed this to happen to so many people."

Hudgell Solicitors, which represents a number of patients, said the ruling highlighted the seriousness of concerns at the trust.

Solicitor Hayley Collinson said the independent reviews of the breast cancer surgery department were "highly critical and highlighted many failings which placed patients at risk".

She also said it admitted harm caused to many patients when Bhatti was clinical lead.

"I would have expected him to fully engage with all measures brought in to improve patient safety and treatment," she added.

Durham Police has opened a portal for people to report concerns.

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by cancer, BBC Action Line has a list of organisations that may be able to help.

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