Disgraced breast surgeon jailed for ‘unnecessary’ procedures on over 1,000 patients to be stripped of £1m pension
6 October 2024, 14:54 | Updated: 6 October 2024, 15:52
A disgraced breast surgeon who was jailed for undertaking thousands of "unnecessary" procedures on cancer patients and will have his pension pot stripped by the Health Secretary.
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Ian Paterson, 64, is currently serving a 20-year-prison sentence for the crimes which span a period of 14 years.
The ‘unnecessary’ and ‘unapproved’ procedures are linked to 62 patient deaths. An inquest into these deaths is expected to open later this month, with another 20 opening later.
Wes Streeting, Health Secretary, will strip Paterson of his taxpayer-funded pension under rules that enable NHS benefits to be removed when there are criminal, negligent or fraudulent acts involved, according to The Sunday Times.
The acts must be considered so grave as to lead to "serious loss of confidence in the public service" or to have been "gravely injurious to the state".
The decision must be authorised by the Secretary of State, reported The Sunday Times.
Paterson was jailed in 2017 after being convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding relating to unnecessary operations performed on 10 patients between 1997 and 2011.
An independent inquiry led by former Bishop of Norwich, the Right Rev Graham James, ruled in February 2020 that Paterson had carried out hundreds of unnecessary operations on scores of patients, exaggerating or inventing cancer risks.
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The disgraced surgeon worked for the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and practised in the independent sector at Spire Parkway and Spire Little Aston in Birmingham.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "These were appalling crimes and we are assisting His Majesty's Coroner with the inquests concerning the tragic deaths of patients previously treated by Ian Paterson. We offer our sincere condolences to the families.
"Cases like this are fortunately rare, but this Government will prioritise patient safety to ensure everyone receives the high-quality, safe treatment they deserve.
"We understand families' frustration and recognise that significant improvements to patient safety are required.
"This Government is working urgently to ensure all lessons from this terrible case are being learned."
