Legal News

Spires, the private healthcare firm under which Ian Paterson was employed, has put together a fund of £27m for victims of Paterson’s surgery. Paterson’s insurers and The Heart of England NHS Trust have put £10m into the fund.

Ian Paterson was jailed in April, for 17 counts of wounding with intent, though Spire have set aside funds for those ex-patients who have yet to come forward, so that number may rise.

Paterson’s sentence was extended from 15 to 20 years last month, after an appeal was made to make the sentence longer in an attempt to reflect the life-long scarring Patterson’s victims face.

The fund itself has been formed in the hope that it will prevent new cases from going to court, with the compensation readily available for claimants to receive.

Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, who represented 30 patients, have been quoted on the BBC stating that the amount in the reserve will not be enough to cover all that the patients will need.

There are approximately 750 patients who have been affected by Ian Paterson’s unethical procedures, not counting those patients who are yet to come forward.

Paterson was the only surgeon delivering the surgeries he named ‘cleavage-sparing mastectomies,’ which went against nationwide guidelines. To leave any tissue in situ, can increase a patient’s risk of cancer returning. Paterson played on his patients’ vulnerable position and continued to perform the surgeries despite a number of reports into his dangerous methods.

Another type of patient which was targeted, were those who weren’t in need of surgery at all. Paterson would deliberately misinterpret reports in order to justify surgery, when none was needed. This particular case was dealt with in the criminal trial which took place at Nottingham Crown Court and resulted in Paterson’s imprisonment.

The civil trial, which has resulted in the agreed fund of £37m, concentrates on the victims of Paterson’s ‘cleavage-sparing mastectomies.’

The Heart of England Trust have taken responsibility for some of the compensation collected because they did not inform Spire of Paterson’s actions when Solihull Hospital – where Paterson previously worked - initially highlighted his dangerous procedures.

The NHS itself has paid out almost £18m in costs and damages to hundreds of patients treated by Paterson, prior to this fund being formed.

Ashwati Menon, Trainee Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury Solicitor at Duncan Lewis comments:

“The level of funds available must reflect the physical and mental scars for the patients who have suffered as well as the ones who have not yet come forward and they must take into account the fact that preventive action could have been done sooner.”

Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence Solicitors

The Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence team has significant experience acting in a vast array of claims including unnecessary surgery claims, accident and emergency failures, GP negligence claims, misdiagnosed fractures and wrongful death claims. They also act for children and adults who have suffered profound and permanent brain, spinal or neurological injuries and associated disabilities as a consequence of failings in medical care in both NHS and private hospitals.

If you believe your doctor has made a mistake and wish to claim compensation or have any questions about treatment you have received, please do not hesitate to contact our team of specialist clinical negligence solicitors on 0333 772 0409.