Inquests opened into deaths of 11 more ex-patients of disgraced breast surgeon

Inquests have been opened and adjourned into the deaths of a further 11 former patients of disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson.

Judge Richard Foster said he “had reason to believe” that sub-standard care by the jailed surgeon had caused or contributed to the deaths of each of the women, who died between 1998 and 2015.

The new cases are in addition to 27 inquests that had already been opened since July 2020, with more to follow on October 6.

Paterson is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found to have carried out unnecessary and unapproved procedures on more than 1,000 breast cancer patients over 14 years.

Speaking before each inquest opening at Birmingham and Solihull Coroner’s Court on Friday, Judge Foster said: “Following a review of this case by a multi-disciplinary team, I have reason to believe that the deceased’s death was caused or contributed to by sub-standard treatment provided by Mr Paterson, and other clinicians involved in the care of the deceased.”

The 11 women who had inquests opened into their deaths on Friday had their details confirmed by Nicola Preston, a coroner’s officer.

They are:

– Jennifer Lloyd-Faux, 62, from Billesley, Birmingham, a retired headteacher who died in 2009.

– Chloe Nikitas, an environmental consultant from Tamworth, who died in 2008 aged 43.

– Janice Prescott, 49, a school secretary from Sutton Coldfield, who died in 2005.

– Constance Whittle, from Sheldon, Birmingham, who died aged 81 in 2003.

– Ann Styles, from Solihull, who died aged 48 in 2001.

– Catherine Naylor, 57, a retired mental health nurse from Birmingham, who died in 2009.

– Elizabeth Tibbetts, a legal executive from Coventry, who died in Solihull in 2005 aged 53.

– Gladys Currall, from Solihull, who was 82 when she died in 1998. She died in Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, which was previously run by the former Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, for whom Paterson worked.

– Doreen Hammond, a retired nurse from Solihull, who died aged 87 in 2015.

– Gillian Bathurst, 55, from Kings Heath, Birmingham, who died in 2010.

– Barbara Lenaghan, from Birmingham, who died in 2013 aged 68.

Adjourning each inquest, Judge Foster said: “I will adjourn this inquest until any further pre-inquest review hearings and thereafter to a substantive hearing due to take place on October 7 2024, while other cases are considered by the multi-disciplinary team of medical experts.

“Although I have identified that systemic issues will be considered, I want to assure all families of the deceased that they will remain at the focus and centre and heart of my investigations.

“I know it is many years since your loved one passed away, but that does not in any way diminish your loss.

“I realise having an inquest like this will only cause further distress, however, it is only right that an inquest is undertaken to investigate what might have gone wrong, and to prevent any reoccurrence.

“I will do all I can to minimise any additional distress to you.”

Judge Foster said a pre-inquest review hearing is expected to be scheduled for late 2023 or early 2024, with more inquests to be opened in October this year.

The final hearings will begin on October 7 2024, which he said could last up to 11 months.

A previous pre-inquest review hearing in June was told that the cases of 417 patients, who had breast cancer listed in part one of their death certificates, had been reviewed, with Friday’s hearing bringing the total number of opened inquests to 38.

A further 130 cases, where breast cancer was listed in part two of the patient’s death certificate, were also being examined to see whether it would be “proportionate” for them to be considered by the coroner.

On Monday, the coroner said there are 294 further deaths where the cause of death is unknown due to it not being possible to trace a death certificate.

He again urged any next of kin of Paterson’s former patients to come forward.

The inquests will “fully, fairly and fearlessly” assess whether Paterson’s actions or wider systemic failures contributed to the deaths.

Paterson, who did not attend Friday’s hearing, worked in private and NHS hospitals from 1997 to 2011.

He was jailed in 2017 for 17 offences after carrying out “cleavage-sparing” mastectomies on patients, which left behind breast tissue and risked a return of cancer.

An independent inquiry ruled that he had carried out hundreds of unnecessary operations on hundreds of patients, exaggerating or inventing cancer risks.

The inquiry report also found that despite concerns being raised as early as 2003, Paterson was free to perform the harmful surgeries due to a “culture of avoidance and denial”.