Irwin Mitchell’s Medical Negligence Experts Representing Patients Affected

A breast surgeon who undertook unnecessary operations and exaggerated the risk of cancer to convince patients to have surgery has been found guilty of 20 charges at Nottingham Crown Court.

Ian Paterson, 59, from Altrincham, has been convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding after a lengthy trial. The charges, dating from 1997 to 2011, relate to patients Paterson saw while practising at Spire Hospitals in the West Midlands.

He is due to be sentenced at a later date.

The Jury was not told during the trial that hundreds of Paterson's patients were recalled in 2012 after concerns his operations. Mr Paterson was suspended by the General Medical Council during the same year because of allegations he had undertaken cleavage-sparing mastectomies.

Specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are representing many of those patients affected by Ian Paterson in civil claims against Spire Healthcare and have already settled many claims against the NHS.

Sara Burns, a medical negligence Partner at Irwin Mitchell, said: 

Expert Opinion

“Today those patients affected by Mr Paterson have some justice for what happened but nothing can turn back the clock on their own individual treatment and for many what happened to them was life changing. The numbers of people affected are staggering and it is crucial that the whole healthcare industry learns from this as soon as possible to improve policies and checks and prevent any possible repeats.” Sara Burns - Partner

If you or a loved one has suffered due to a surgical error or negligence, our medical negligence solicitors could help you claim compensation. Visit our Surgery Compensation Claims page for more information.