Breast cancer operations scandal puts 1,100 women at risk after NHS surgeon botched masectomies Consultant Ian Paterson's carried out incomplete breast cancer surgery NHS faces multi-million pound legal bill for treatment between 1994 and 2001 Several cases been settled out-of-court with biggest payout at £150,000 Mr Paterson currently under investigation by police and medical Ian Kennedy report set to condemn NHS managers for not acting sooner By Ellie Buchdahl Investigation: Ian Paterson is accused of botching breast cancer operations on more than 1,000 women Almost 1,100 women may be at risk due to botched treatment allegedly carried out on them by an NHS surgeon. Dozens of women have already had further treatment after Ian Paterson left small amounts of breast tissue around the cleavage of some of his patients - with the intention of giving them a "better cosmetic result." The scandal is amounting to one of the most expensive for the health service as it faces a multi-million pound legal bill. Around 700 women were believed to have been affected when the surgeon was stopped from operating in July 2011. But it emerged today that a total of 1,079 former patients of Mr Paterson were investigated by the hospital amid fears that he could have carried out more 'cleavage sparing' procedures and put more women at risk. The former consultant of Solihull Hospital in the West Midlands, who also worked privately in the West Midlands, is currently under investigation by medical regulators and the police. Mr Paterson is alleged to have breached national guidelines, which state that leaving tissue after a mastectomy increases the chances of cancer recurring. Every surviving woman who was operated on by Mr Paterson between 1994 and 2011 has been warned they need to be re-examined for cancer. One legal firm alone is dealing with the cases of 400 women who were treated by Mr Paterson, according to The Sunday Telegraph. Compensation: Senior medical negligence solicitor Kashmir Uppal with (from left) Paula Gelsthorpe, Victoria Weaver, Rachel Butler, Gail Boichat, Helen Gardiner and Marie Bailey, who are taking legal action against Ian Paterson Hundreds have contacted other solicitors, while the NHS has settled around ten cases in secret, with £150,000 - to an unidentified woman - being the biggest payout yet. Other payments have been made amounting to around £18,000. West Midlands Police officers have been called in to investigate whether the surgeon committed fraud by carrying out unnecessary private procedures, and whether he benefited financially from them. According to data drawn up by the Cancer Intelligence Network, the official monitoring body, of the women treated by Mr Paterson at Solihull Hospital, 237 were found to definitely have 'excessive breast tissue' left over after their operations. This raised the chances of the disease coming back. Medical notes showed that the 379 women medical notes indicated that it was possible that there was potential for excessive breast tissue. Of the remaining patients, 152 had a complete mastectomy. It is understood that dozens of women have already been received additional treatment which was identified as being needed as their cases were reviewed. Concerns: Staff at Solihull Hospital alerted managers to the conduct of Mr Paterson as early as 2004 but no action was taken for years Staff at the hospital are said to have alerted managers with concerns about Mr Paterson as early as 2004, but no action was taken until 2007. Mr Paterson - who also worked at two private clinics - Little Aston Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and Parkway Hospital in Solihull - was then told by Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Solihull Hospital, to stop using the 'cleavage sparing' method. But he was allowed to carry on practising until 2010, when the GMC ordered him to stop - and then continued with his private clinics. Lynda Johnson, a retired civil servant from Birmingham and a patient referred to Mr Paterson after a breast cancer diagnosis in 2006, said yesterday: 'I thought I had been cured. I thought Mr Paterson had saved my life. So to be told that in fact the cancer could still be there was absolutely devastating. The 66-year-old, who needed a full mastectomy in July 2010 after discovering that Mr Paterson had only removed part of her breast tissue, said her faith in the health service and medicine has been severely shaken by his behaviour and by that of NHS managers, who failed to stop Mr Paterson operating on hundreds more women. HEFT has admitted liability in her case. The report will be the result of an investigation by Sir Ian Kennedy, who led an inquiry into the scandal of deaths at the Bristol babies" heart unit. Sir Ian is reviewing hundreds of hours of interviews with NHS staff, including doctors, and with Mr Paterson's patients. Victim: Marie Pinfield with her sister Shirley Moroney. Marie died 21/10/2008 at the Marie Curie Hospice in Solihull after a botched operation by Mr Paterson The report is also expected to highlight the pace of re-examinations of the surgeon's patients. By 2009 only 12 women had been re-examined. A full recall of all his breast cancer patients did not start until June 2011, after Dr Mark Newbold was appointed to take over as new chief executive of HEF. Dr Mark Newbold said: 'I very much regret what has happened to so many women, and our thoughts are with them and their families. We are doing everything we can to offer support through what is a most difficult time for them. There is no doubt that mistakes have been made in the past, and this is why since I came into post, have focused on what the patients and staff have been telling us to identify fully what happened and to take every possible action to prevent this from happening again. I have requested an independent review led by Sir Ian Kennedy QC. I expect Sir Kennedy's, report to provide clarity around the specific areas that need to be addressed, and we have committed to this report being made public when it is presented which we believe will be in the next few weeks. We will respond swiftly and positively to Sir Kennedy's, findings and recommendations. He added that all the women who had had mastectomies had been contacted in writing and that he and other members of the Trust's senior team had met with some of the women concerned and their families. He said a new doctors' revalidation process had also been introduced to look at doctors' performance An independent review is also being carried out into the way the private firm Spire Healthcare, a private firm, responded to fears over the surgeon's work. Thompsons Solicitors, the lawyers representing nearly 400 of Mr Paterson's patients, said Spire launched its review 'only after sustained external pressure'. Incompetent: Two of Mr Paterson's patients, Gail Boichat, left, and Helen Gardiner, right, who were given incomplete surgery Hundreds of Mr Paterson's private patients have also been recalled for possible further treatment. Spire Healthcare has commissioned an independent review of how it responded to concerns about Mr Paterson at the private hospitals, which is being carried out by independent consultancy Verita, which is expected to be concluded before the end of the year. A spokesman for Spire Healthcare said: 'Spire Parkway and Little Aston hospitals, in conjunction with the GMC and the HEFT, is continuing to investigate the practice of Ian Paterson. Our investigations have revealed some irregularities in his practice that may go against recognised treatment standards. Mr Paterson had his practising privileges suspended by Spire in August 2011. Our priority is first and foremost the care and wellbeing of our patients. Any patient treated by Ian Paterson who has concerns or questions should call a dedicated phone line, 0800 044 3134, and arrange to speak with our professional medical staff.