'We survived butcher surgeon - but inquests into deaths must give answers to us all'

A woman who was needlessly operated on by a butcher surgeon has said she and other survivors are feeling on edge as the days tick down before inquests for 50 of his patients who died begin next week.

Disgraced doctor Ian Paterson was jailed in 2017 for 17 counts of wounding people with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding, after he subjected more than 1,000 patients to unnecessary and damaging operations over 14 years. In some cases he carried out "cleavage-sparing mastectomies" taking just the minimum amount of tissue, only for the women's breast cancer to return.

Sarah Jane Downing was operated on by Paterson in 1998 having been told she desperately needed a chunk of her breast removed. She found out in 2014 that she didn't ever have cancer and the surgery had been completely unnecessary. Now she runs a support group - PS4PS Paterson's Survivors for Patient Safety - and says her members are fearful of what comes next. They are meeting ahead of the inquest to mentally prepare, as well as support one another through the next tough 18 months.

More than 50 inquests for women who lost their lives after treatment from Paterson, have now been opened and will be heard together as one large hearing, expecting to last 18 months, from October 7. Families of those who have lost loved ones will come face to face with Paterson, who has been allowed to join the coroner's court in Birmingham via video link from HMP HMP Wymott in Preston, Lancashire.

Paterson, then a consultant, was employed by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and practised in the independent sector at Spire Parkway and Spire Little Aston, all in Birmingham between 1997 and 2011. He thought he was a pioneer and performed unregulated "cleavage-sparing mastectomies", leaving cancerous tissue behind, which led to the recurrence of the disease in many patients.

He advised numerous patients that they had pre-cancerous lumps, leading to unnecessary surgeries that caused both physical and mental scarring. He also carried out unnecessary surgery for various veins, hernias and several other medical procedures. After his trial, a review was carried out and in 2020 recommendations were made to prevent surgeons being able to carry out unregulated and unnecessary operations, but those have still not been implemented.

Sarah Jane told the Mirror: "I feel still very much on edge, not as much as before the trial in 2017, but I still feel so much concern for all those women's families, for all those women who are no longer with us, they are in a terrible position, knowing that they could have survived it they never met Paterson.

"I did survive, but so many others did not. One of the women was just 41 when she died, the life that she should have had, her family lost her because of this, there are so many questions about what treatment, why it was done, should they have survived. The surgery these women had was an absolute abuse. Would they have still been here if they hadn't met Paterson?"

She added that she hopes each inquest provides the families with a clear answer to what happened. She is also keen for survivors like herself to be given the opportunity to have their experiences heard at the end, once those who have lost loved ones have the answers they need. She said: "I'd relish the opportunity to speak about our experience in the final stage of the inquest, the survivors have a lot of knowledge."

Linda Millband, head of group claims at Thompsons Solicitors, has represented hundreds of patients to bring claims for compensation after they were treated by Paterson, as well as six families who are involved in the coroner’s investigation. She said: “Whilst Paterson has already been jailed for his despicable actions, there are still countless unanswered questions with regards his conduct, as well as the actions of the various NHS Trusts and private clinics where he worked.

"The upcoming inquests will play a vital role in investigating the concerns raised by thousands of patients, and dozens of grieving families. It is these victims who must always remain the focal point of these proceedings.”