Hundreds of Women Report Harm from NHS Breast Cancer Care An investigation into the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust reveals over 300 women suffered harm, including unnecessary mastectomies and delayed diagnoses, prompting suspensions and police inquiries. More than three hundred women have suffered harm from the care they received at the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust. Investigation into the trust's breast cancer services has discovered that 315 of 514 patients studied were harmed, and 77 of those cases were judged to have incurred significant injury. One woman experienced death as a result of the mistakes. The trust's new chief executive, Steve Russell, told the BBC that he was "unreservedly" sorry for the damage caused. He said the failure was "utterly unacceptable" and that the distress felt by patients and staff is unimaginable. The harms range from unnecessary mastectomies to delayed diagnoses that allowed cancers to progress.A 51‑year‑old woman from Consett, who was initially thought to have a treatable lump, was told she had breast cancer in 2023 and underwent a lumpectomy, a mastectomy and eight cycles of chemo‑radiotherapy. In September 2025 she received a shock when the trust informed her she could have received a second lumpectomy instead of full breast removal. The woman, who now cries on the phone, said "I can't believe what you're saying. It can't give me my breast back." Another unnamed patient told the trust's helpline she had had a mastectomy in 2021 after being told the operation could have been avoided. She insists she was betrayed by people she thought were her medical colleagues and says she now feels mutilated. The chief clinical officer for breast services, Amir Bhatti, who served from 2013 to 2024, has been suspended from clinical duties but remains on the trust's payroll.The trust is conducting an internal review covering all breast cancer cases between January 2023 and February 2025 and has opened a helpline for 640 former patients. Plans to widen the review to cover records from 2015 could bring up to 10,000 medical files back into scrutiny.The National Crime Agency has teamed with Durham Police to investigate possible criminal offences. 2024 reports revealed the trust had paid nearly £6 million to privately run breast cancer diagnostic clinics and surgery companies run by Bhatti. Concerns about financial incentives, outsourcing of appointments, possible use of unqualified locum consultants and lack of proper multidisciplinary team meetings were raised in a 2025 governance review. The trust has said it fully cooperates with the police and the National Crime Agency.A support group for affected women meets at Beamish Football Centre in Stanley, urging a public inquiry. The review notes that the trust's shift to fee‑for‑service arrangements was common in the sector, but the trust has since ended such arrangements for breast cancer care. The Royal College of Surgeons had warned last year that multi‑disciplinary discussions on breast cancer cases were often inadequate.The trust has acknowledged delays in acquiring essential diagnostic equipment, a concern repeatedly expressed by Bhatti before he was suspended. The trust's chief executive stressed that the trust will continue cooperating with police investigations while the internal review proceeds