Amir Bhatti was the clinical lead at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust’s (CDDFT) breast cancer surgery service when watchdogs exposed a decade of failings.
Last year, a review, commissioned by the trust and carried out by governance expert Mary Aubrey, found missed warnings, ignored red flags, and ‘systemic failures’ which led to 51 women being ‘harmed’.
The trust is reviewing the care of 1,500 patients, while Durham Police is investigating whether criminal offences may have taken place.
A lot of the controversy involves Mr Bhatti, who has worked for the trust since 2005, and was first restricted from carrying out breast cancer surgery in February 2025.
However, more than a year on, he still works for the trust on restricted duties and is being paid in full.
And this week, The Northern Echo sat down for an exclusive interview with CDDFT chief executive Steve Russell seeking an explanation.
When asked why Mr Bhatti is still employed at CDDFT, Mr Russell said they must comply with employment policies and stressed they are doing everything they can to protect patients.
Mr Amir Bhatti (Image: SUBMIT)
He said: “I understand why people feel it is an injustice, given the degree of harm that women have suffered.
“When I joined the trust, we extended the restrictions already in place. We did that for safety reasons and to ensure women accessing the service received different care from that provided historically.
“I cannot go into loads of detail about individual employment matters, but we have acted to protect patients and followed our employment policies to undertake the necessary reviews and investigations.
A County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust sign (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
“They can take a long time, longer than any of us would like.
“We are very serious about making sure the review is fair but robust. It has taken longer than any of us would wish, but I hope we are reaching the end of the investigation.
“The trust has taken several steps, some publicly reported, in response to challenges.
“Although it will feel unjust to those affected by the service’s failings, his contract requires us to continue paying him while the investigation takes place.
Mr Bhatti was first restricted from carrying out breast cancer surgery following concerns raised during the breast service review.
At that stage, he was still permitted to carry out general surgery and other clinical duties.
However, the restrictions were widened in October 2025, preventing him from undertaking any clinical practice, including general surgery, outpatient work and multidisciplinary meetings.
Mr Russell added: “The trust restricted Mr Bhatti from clinical practice around October or November. We extended a restriction that initially covered breast services to the rest of his clinical practice.
Darlington Memorial Hospital sign (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
“He can undertake non-clinical duties but is restricted from entering the area where women attending the breast service are seen and treated.
“We are investigating the concerns under our policies. That remains ongoing and has taken longer than any of us would have liked for several reasons.
“That is not an excuse, but I hope we are close to concluding the investigative stage. That does not mean the entire process is finished, but I hope that we’re coming to conclude the investigation.
“There was also a High Court hearing which the trust had to defend. He asked the court to direct us to remove the restriction, allowing him to return to clinical work, and to prevent us from restricting him in future. We disagreed and defended the claim. The High Court found in our favour.
“It criticised some things we had done but said the decision to impose and continue the restriction was appropriate, so it remained in place.
“The trust must follow a full legal and employment process, like any organisation, before taking further action.
University Hospital of North Durham in Durham City (Image: Chris BoothNORTHERN ECHO)
“I appreciate that continued full payment will feel unjust to women harmed by the service and to readers more generally. However, it is contractually required, and every NHS organisation must follow a specific national policy covering concerns about doctors.”
Between 2022 and 2024, 8,000 of 13,500 referred breast cancer patients were seen in outsourced clinics operating on a “pay-per-patient” basis, through companies including Durham Surgical Services, of which Mr Bhatti was a director.
Mr Bhatti ran NHS “two-week-wait” clinics at Darlington Memorial Hospital, University Hospital North Durham, and Spire Hospital in Washington, through companies including Durham Surgical Services.
Within the NHS, and not necessarily in Dr Bhatti’s case, there is a flaw allowing consultants to establish private clinics under their own or another name.
Because of current pressure on the NHS, patients can then be referred to those private clinics even though the same doctors also work in the NHS.
Patients may effectively be referred to a consultant who is the same person later treating them.
Mr Russell said: “We have stopped using those companies and no longer operate those arrangements.
“They exist in other organisations and can sometimes be appropriate, provided the correct safeguards, governance and oversight are in place.”
He added: “Conflicts of interest must be properly managed, so there are no perverse incentives. There must also be proper clinical oversight, as a trust should exercise over its own clinical services.
Chief Executive of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Steve Russell (Image: Chris BoothNORTHERN ECHO)
“Not all those safeguards were previously in place at the trust. We have therefore terminated the arrangements and reduced the reliance on contracted companies, particularly in breast services.
“We have a partnership arrangement with Newcastle hospitals. That forms part of reassuring women that they can have confidence in a service operating very differently from before.”
On the NHS Jobs website, it says that NHS trust breast cancer surgery leads typically earn a six-figure salary per year, with trust pay across the UK ranging from £109,725 to £145,478 per year.
Mr Russell confirmed during the meeting with The Northern Echo that no one else is under investigation within the trust as part of the lookback exercise.
He added: “We continue meeting and hearing from women who want to tell us about their experiences, and continually assess whether other concerns need further exploration.
The Northern Echo interview Chief Executive of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Steve Russell (Image: Chris BoothNORTHERN ECHO)
“We have not started another investigation. We are reviewing feedback from women and findings emerging as the lookback progresses.
“The lookback is clinically focused on the care women received.
“It is difficult to question historical decisions because we do not know the context in which they were made.
“I understand why those decisions may appear wrong, but none of us were there at the time. We have tried to act now to improve the service, and there’s been a huge amount of learning for the organisation.”
Asked if a public inquiry from the Government into the breast cancer services would be appropriate, Mr Russell said: “We want to support the women affected and their families, give them the answers that they want about their care, and make sure women who would benefit receive further support or treatment.
“We must ensure the service women access now is very different from the service that harmed women historically.
“I understand why women and your readers feel a public inquiry might be warranted and helpful.
“Ultimately, that is a decision for the Government, not one we can take.
“If a public inquiry comes forward, we will cooperate fully, as we have done. There are things a public inquiry can do and things it cannot do.”
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”.