New £22.2million fund is set up for potential victims of rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson after private hospital firm contacted 5,500 patients who were treated by disgraced doctor
- New fund set up jointly by law firms Thompson Solicitors and Slater and Gordon
- Ian Paterson is serving 20-year sentence for performing unapproved surgeries
- 750 victims have already won compensation following unnecessary operations
- New fund relates to patients treated by Paterson in a Spire Healthcare hospital
Disgraced: Ian Paterson was sentenced to 20 years in jail for performing unapproved and life-threatening surgeries on women and men in the West Midlands
Potential victims of disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson are being urged to come forward and claim part of a new £22.2 million compensation fund.
More than 750 victims have already successfully claimed after receiving unapproved and life-threatening surgery from Glasgow-born Paterson - who treated more than 11,000 patients across the West Midlands.
Thomspons Solicitors, which has set up the new fund with firm Slater and Gordon, believes many more of these patients could have been victims.
The rogue surgeon is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of wounding both men and women with unnecessary and dangerous operations.
Linda Millband, head of clinical negligence at Thompsons said it is 'clear that many more patients had been mistreated by Paterson and deserve to be compensated'.
She said: 'It is clear people have been missed and we will be urging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Ian Paterson, at any time, to come forward and seek compensation for their injuries.'
She added that the firm, which previously litigated for other victims, had been 'involved in this whole sorry story from the start and are determined to ensure we get the very best outcome for anyone who suffered at Paterson's hands'.
Paterson performed 'cleavage-sparing mastectomies' on women that left the breast tissue in place, allowing the cancer to return.
A total of 675 out of 1,207 women who underwent the unregulated treatment had died by 2017.
In some cases he advised treatment for women who did not have cancer, offering them more expensive procedures.
Ian Paterson worked at hospitals and private clinics across the West Midlands, including those run by Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which covers hospitals in Sutton Coldfield, Solihull and Birmingham (Pictured: Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield)
Cheryl Iommi (pictured), a previous recipient of compensation after having three unnecessary lumpectomies performed, urged others who think they might have been victims to come forward
Victim Patricia Welch (centre) speaks outside Nottingham Crown Court following Ian Paterson's sentencing in 2017
Paterson worked at NHS hospitals in the West Midlands and private clinics including those run by Spire hospitals (Spire Parkway in Solihull, pictured)
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He worked at NHS hospitals in the West Midlands and private clinics, including those run by Spire hospitals.
He carried out breast and general surgery, treating more than 11,000 patients in total.
Last year Spire Healthcare wrote to 5,500 former patients of Paterson - who were seen by the surgeon between 1993 and 2011 - after being criticised by an independent inquiry for not doing enough to contact them.
Thompsons Solicitors said it had been asked to manage the new fund and to represent additional victims of Paterson's crimes alongside Slater and Gordon.
Paterson was employed by Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) – since taken over by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust (UHB) – but also had practising privileges in the independent sector at Spire Parkway, Solihull, and Spire Little Aston in Birmingham.
The new compensation scheme relates only to patients treated by Paterson in a Spire Healthcare hospital.
Cheryl Iommi, a previous recipient of compensation after having three unnecessary lumpectomies performed, urged others who think they might have been victims to come forward.
The 54-year-old, from Birmingham, said she felt the compensation 'was about vindication'.
She said: 'I would encourage anyone who was a victim of Paterson to seek legal redress, especially with Thompsons.
'I can't put into words how grateful I am for the kindness I was shown and what that meant to me after everything he put me through.'
Spire Healthcare said it had provided £22.2m in total, to cover things like costs of contacting people and reviewing cases as well as compensation.
The provider said that, while the compensation scheme will be administered by Slater and Gordon and Thompsons Solicitors, patients of Paterson can approach any law firm to advise them, and to apply to the new scheme on their behalf.
A spokesperson for the provider said: 'Patients who suffered at the hands of Ian Paterson must not be prevented from seeking compensation.
'Spire Healthcare has taken the initiative to collaborate in setting up the new fund so that Patterson's victims can access appropriate legal expertise.'
In September 2017, more than 750 patients treated by Paterson received compensation pay-outs from a £37 million fund.
The independent Paterson Inquiry, published in February last year, found that many of Glasgow-born Paterson's patients were 'lied to, deceived or exploited', though the consultant maintains his innocence.
A total of seven inquests have been opened to date, into deaths which 'may have been caused or contributed to by acts or omissions in the treatment provided by Mr Paterson'.
A tribunal last year heard how Paterson was free to butcher cancer patients for eight years despite nine separate reports of botched treatments.
Senior colleagues at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) were aware of nine separate reports of botched treatment by 2007 - but in 2010 only one was reported to the General Medical Council for investigation, it was claimed.
