Who is Ian Paterson?

Ian Paterson was a breast surgeon who worked at hospitals run by the Heart of England NHS Trust and Spire Healthcare in the West Midlands.

He was accused of carrying out invasive breast surgery on women with suspected breast cancer when a simple biopsy might have been sufficient. He was also alleged to have performed lumpectomies and lymph node removal on vulnerable patients when it was not needed in addition to using an unrecognised procedure, known as a cleavage sparing mastectomy, which involves leaving behind some potentially cancerous tissue for cosmetic reasons. These led to many patients needing further surgery to remove cancerous tissue.

Furthermore, he also performed vascular procedures, hernia repairs, legion removals, various scopes and appendix and gall bladder removal surgeries.

In 2017 Paterson, then aged 59, was convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

What is the Spire Healthcare Compensation Fund for patients of Ian Paterson?

Spire Healthcare recalled patients of Paterson to review their case and in 2017 set up a compensation fund to compensate his patients for the physical and psychological injury they had suffered as a result of his unnecessary treatment and surgeries. More than 750 patients treated by Paterson received compensation from the £37 million fund.

In 2020, a report of an independent inquiry found that the recall of patients had been insufficient and called for Spire to recall all of Paterson’s patients. In December 2020, Spire wrote to at least 5,500 patients who were treated by Paterson at their centres.

As a result, Spire Healthcare have set up a second compensation fund to compensate any further victims.

Why choose Slater and Gordon?

Slater and Gordon was asked to manage the original compensation fund in 2017 and has once again been asked to manage the second fund. We represented a vast number of Ian Paterson’s patients and ensured they achieved compensation and justice for the unnecessary or inappropriate treatment they received.

In 2018, Emma Doughty, Head of Medical Negligence at Slater and Gordon, was awarded ‘Outstanding Achievement of the Year’ at the Personal Injury Awards for her work and dedication as lead solicitor, representing over 100 women in the Paterson case. In addition, Emma and her team were shortlisted for 'Clinical Negligence Lawyer of the Year’ and ‘Outstanding Case of the Year’ for the case.

What our clients say

Watch Carole’s story – Ian Paterson performed six unnecessary breast surgeries on her.

Watch Jade’s story – Jade was just 16 years old when Ian Paterson performed an unnecessary breast operation on her.

Listen to our podcast episode, The Evil Doctor - Featuring John Hynes, whose wife Deborah died due to Paterson’s treatment, Jade Edgington and Carole Johnson, who underwent numerous needless operations, leading medical expert, Prof Gordon Wishart, who reviewed hundreds of the disgraced surgeon’s cases, and medical negligence lawyer, Emma Doughty.

If you're a former patient of Ian Paterson and have been recalled by Spire Healthcare or believe you will be recalled, simply register your details and one of our medical negligence experts specialising in the Paterson case will contact you.

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Why should I apply for compensation from Spire Healthcare’s compensation fund?

Having to undergo an operation or treatment can cause a significant amount of anxiety, in addition to pain and suffering. If you underwent surgery or treatment that was not necessary or performed inappropriately, you have the right to be compensated.

Spire Healthcare have set up the compensation fund to ensure you receive the compensation and justice you deserve and the compensation fund also covers any legal costs so there’s no financial risk to pursuing a claim.

Simply speak to our experts by registering your details today and they’ll talk through any concerns or questions you may have.

Am I eligible for compensation from the Spire Healthcare’s fund?

If you're a former patient of Ian Paterson, have been recalled by Spire Healthcare, or believe you may be recalled, and did not apply for compensation from the initial fund, you may be eligible to claim from the second compensation fund.

Please note that you only have three years from the date you receive any recall letter in which to apply for compensation from the fund. It’s therefore important to contact us as soon as possible in order to make a claim.

Watch our video on how to make a claim:

Alternatively, register your details today to start your claim and one of our experts will be in touch.

Start your claim