Yvonne, 84, from Durham, underwent three rounds of surgery in 12 weeks, following delays in her cancer being diagnosed by the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust’s (CDDFT) Breast Cancer Service.
Yvonne, who was 80 at the time of the incidents, claims she was forced to sit for hours in waiting rooms, despite having an appointment, and claims she was only seen for two minutes in total by Mr Amir Bhatti, then lead surgeon in the service.
Yvonne, 84, from Belmont, Durham (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
She was also given the devastating news that she needed a mastectomy by a doctor who, Yvonne says, poked his head around the door and then abruptly left moments later.
Late last year, four years after her surgery in 2021, Yvonne says she was contacted by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust to say they had found problems in her care which she describes as like a “cattle market”.
She said the trust told her the care she received had been “problematic”, and she underwent one unnecessary operation. She claims the trust did not specify which one, and even when she asked, she was just told it was “not the mastectomy”.
It comes a day after Durham Police confirmed that it is holding an active criminal investigation into concerns surrounding CDDFT, confirming officers are working to “establish the facts” and determine whether any crimes have taken place.
Yvonne, 84, underwent unacceptable care at the hands of the NHS Trust (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Yvonne says at the time, she never questioned her care, but now feels “so angry” at what she endured at both the University Hospital of North Durham and Spire Washington Hospital.
“I was spoken to so badly by staff, my consultations with Mr Bhatti probably totalled about two minutes across three different appointments, and it was absolutely awful how I was given the news that I needed a mastectomy.
“As awful as it was, looking back, at the time I just thought that must be how they did things.
“I’d never been to a hospital for years before this, so I believed this just must be normal.
“When I was told that there were problems in my care and I had one surgery too many, the best way I can describe it is that my brain froze, and then the anger took over. I am so angry with how I have been treated.”
After being referred by her GP with a lump in her breast in early 2021, Yvonne was referred to Mr Bhatti’s clinic at Spire Washington Hospital in March of that year, where she says she sat for several hours being moved “from corridor to corridor, there were so many of us it was awful, and the wait was so long,” she recalls.
Yvonne is diabetic and said there were not any refreshments available during her wait.
Yvonne (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Once she was seen by Mr Bhatti, she claims he told her she would need a biopsy and to await a letter.
At her next appointment, at the University Hospital of North Durham, Yvonne claims she was told the same again, and still did not receive a biopsy.
Yvonne did not undergo a biopsy until May, and later that month had a lumpectomy operation.
In July of that year, she was told she had cancer and underwent a procedure to remove nodes, and was told at the end of August she needed a mastectomy, which happened the following month, in September 2021.
Having undergone three operations in around 12 weeks, Yvonne says it left her feeling tired.
The front of University of North Durham Hospital (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
“The care was very impersonal throughout. I have never been spoken to in such an abrupt way, but I just came to accept it,” she added.
“It was a very difficult time, of course. I discovered I had breast cancer, I had three operations, I had a mastectomy – but at the grand old age of 80, you just get on with things.
“But knowing now that I had one surgery too many, which meant a longer recovery period, and my care should have been better and quicker, is very difficult.
“One of my friends has had a similar experience, and she has said she has blocked it all out as it’s so traumatic for her. For me, I haven’t.”
A year after her mastectomy, Yvonne says she was forced to return to Mr Bhatti to have a lump examined which had appeared under her arm.
Dr Amir Bhatti (Image: SUPPLIED)
However, although her stitches from this removal procedure were meant to dissolve, weeks later, Yvonne said she had to visit her GP, who told her they were too big to dissolve and were the cause of discomfort that had developed.
“When I was contacted by the trust, and I saw all the publicity around the breast cancer service, I was really shocked,” Yvonne said.
Spire Hospital in Washington (Image: STUART BOULTON)
“My daughter said she knew all along that something was not right, but what we have discovered has been truly awful.”
Yvonne is being supported by specialist solicitors at law firm Slater and Gordon, which is acting for significant numbers of women across County Durham in pursuing answers from County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.
“Yvonne’s story of impersonal and abrupt care is really distressing – this is a lady who was 80 years old at the time, who was diagnosed with cancer and told she would lose her breast,” said Megan Limburn-Reynolds, who is representing her.
University of North Durham Hospital (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
“Surely she is deserving of the very best of care, compassion and support. Sadly, she would experience quite the opposite.”
“Yvonne, like so many other women, deserved so much more.”
It comes after nearly 1,500 breast surgery cases were placed under review following what an independent report described as a decade of “profoundly systemic” failures.
The review was triggered by a damning Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) report in March 2025, which highlighted delayed diagnoses, “excessive or unnecessary surgery”, and “failures to properly consider or discuss treatment options”, including breast-conserving surgery and reconstruction.
The trust confirmed that Dr Bhatti is still employed by the trust, but he is no longer clinical lead for the breast service and his clinical practice is currently restricted.
Dr Bhatti also operated on patients at the private practice, Washington Spire Hospital.
However, Spire has confirmed that the doctor isn’t currently practising clinically at Spire Washington, and they are not currently conducting a recall into his patients.
Spire Hospital in Washington (Image: Stuart Boulton)
A spokesperson for Mr Bhatti previously said that “serving the best interests of all our patients is of paramount importance and when things go wrong, we learn from this and make the necessary changes and improvements”.
The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has apologised for the distress caused and says the service has undergone a “complete review and redesign”, with external leadership brought in and care now aligned to national guidance.
Steve Russell, CDDFT chief executive, previously said: “We are deeply sorry for the distress and harm that has been caused. We know this has had a profound impact on women and their loved ones. We are committed to listening, to being open about what we are doing and to making the improvements needed to provide safe, high-quality care to all our patients.”
Gill Hunt, CDDFT interim chief nurse, added: “We are truly sorry for the pain that has been caused. We are determined to learn, to change and to be open about our progress. These improvements are already making a real difference for patients.
“However, we know that there is more to do; some patients are still waiting longer than they should be for their first appointment with us, and we continue to need support from neighbouring trusts.
“We will continue to work on further improvements to deliver the best care for our patients.
“We will also continue to update our communities as this work moves forward.”
A spokesperson for Spire said: “Due to patient confidentiality, we’re unable to comment on individual patients.”