Ian Paterson
Ian Paterson, a breast surgeon who worked at Bupa hospitals in Solihull and Sutton Coldfield, latterly run by Spire Healthcare,[8] was convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and three counts of unlawful wounding in respect of 10 patients.[9] Hundreds of patients who had been treated privately at Spire clinics pursued civil action against him and against the company. According to Thompsons Solicitors, Spire had allowed him to operate well after 2012, when he had been suspended by the General Medical Council.[10] Spire's statement was "What Mr Paterson did in our hospitals, in other private hospitals, and in the NHS absolutely should not have happened, and today justice has been done."[11] Paterson was initially jailed for 15 years; the Court of Appeal later increased his sentence to 20 years,[12] and £37 million was allocated for compensation.[13]
An Independent Inquiry into the Issues raised by Paterson chaired by Graham James, a former Bishop of Norwich, was set up, and reported on 4 February 2020.[14]
Spire initiated litigation in August 2017 against Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust claiming the trust's failure to warn it of concerns about Paterson's conduct was negligent and that the company relied on the NHS, as the primary employer, to tell it whether doctors were competent or whether there were patient safety concerns.[15]
A Patient Services Support Line was set up by University Hospitals Birmingham for patients who had been treated by Paterson; Spire Healthcare also set up a dedicated phone line.[16]
In February 2023 a further 1,500 Spire patients who had possibly received negligent treatment from Paterson were recalled by health officials after an old IT database was discovered.[17][18]
