The contents of a report following the Ian Paterson inquiry reflects the severity of his actions and the failure to stop what he was doing.
The rogue surgeon, who is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence following a criminal hearing that took place in 2017, intentionally carried out needless operations on his victims. The report has suggested that over 1,000 procedures were done without any requirement, and the inquiry recommends that some 11,000 patients may need to be recalled to identify if there are any more.
Although this issue has been ongoing for some time, news of the inquiry report comes in the wake of alarming revelations about another Spire Hospital consultant, Habib Rahman, who has also been accused of conducting needless operations.
Ian Paterson inquiry reveals over 1,000 victims
The Ian Paterson inquiry revealing that over 1,000 patients have suffered the needless pain and agony of surgery over a 14-year period is alarming.
There remains much debate about why he chose to carry out the procedures. Some believe it was for financial gain, whereas others believe that he had a “God complex” and wanted to be seen as a hero surgeon treating difficult ailments. In reality, the former breast surgeon carrying out operations on dangerous tumours was, in some cases, carrying out pointless surgical procedures on victims who did not require such treatment.
The pain and suffering, for some of the victims, will never go away.
NHS and hospitals criticised
The Ian Paterson inquiry was highly critical of both the NHS and the private hospitals that the former surgeon had worked at.
Systemic failures were identified, with the inquiry finding that there was a “culture of avoidance and denial”, and even a “wilful blindness” to the rogue surgeon’s actions. It’s believed that this may have at least in some way contributed to the scale of the problem that has left over a thousand victims exploited by needless surgery.
Lessons must be learned to make sure that nothing like this happens again, although the recently publicised case of Mr Habib Rahman doesn’t fill us with a great deal of confidence.
What can victims do?
For the victims, the Ian Paterson inquiry results may be of little comfort. For the patients who have suffered needless operations, the damage has already been done.
Their voices and their rights to justice must not go unheard. Victims who have suffered from Paterson’s actions can be entitled to make a claim for medical negligence compensation, and we offer No Win, No Fee representation.
You can speak to our team today for free, no-obligation advice by calling 0800 634 75 75 or you can visit our contact page for more ways to get in touch.
We’re here to help.
