Ian Paterson, a disgraced breast surgeon serving a 20-year jail term, is set to lose his £1m pension. The decision comes under rules that allow NHS benefits to be forfeited in cases of criminal, negligent, or fraudulent acts that lead to a serious loss of confidence in the public service. Paterson was jailed in 2017 for carrying out unnecessary and unapproved procedures on more than 1,000 breast cancer patients over 14 years.
Between 1997 and 2011, Paterson worked at the Spire Parkway Hospital and Spire Little Aston Hospital in Birmingham, as well as NHS hospitals run by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust. Inquests into the deaths of 62 of his patients are set to open on Monday at Birmingham and Solihull Coroner’s Court, with another 20 opening later. The inquests are expected to last two years.
A spokesperson 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.”
Paterson was recently permitted to move to a Category D open prison, causing anger and distress among his victims and their families. The Ministry of Justice apologized for any miscommunication after relatives said they had not been informed of the move. The inquests and the decision to strip Paterson of his pension are part of ongoing efforts to address the impact of his actions on his former patients and their families.
Paterson to lose pension
The inquest aims to bring closure and answers for the families of Paterson’s victims and to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again. Stuart Coyne, whose wife Catherine died in 2008 after undergoing surgery by Paterson, is seeking answers regarding her treatment. Mrs. Coyne developed secondary cancer in 2004 and passed away four years later. It was only later that the family realized she had not had a complete mastectomy. “We were thinking, if she’d had the full mastectomy, would there have been a secondary cancer situation?” Mr.
Coyne expressed. “Obviously, it did raise those thoughts and concerns, and it makes you feel, I suppose, angry that maybe a correct procedure wasn’t carried out.”
The inquest followed a review by a team of doctors, who identified patients they believed might have “died an unnatural death as a result of Ian Paterson’s actions.” Paterson had convinced patients to undergo surgery by exaggerating the risk of breast cancer and performing unrecognized cleavage-sparing operations, leaving patients at risk of their cancer returning. Debbie Douglas, who Paterson gave an unnecessary mastectomy, said: “What we hope from this is that those that have died get their voices heard and that the families and victims that Paterson harmed get answers.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson 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 understand families’ frustration and recognize that significant improvements to patient safety are required. This government is working urgently to ensure all lessons from this terrible case are being learned.”
