\n Catriona Dunbar, from Stanley, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and underwent a lumpectomy as part of her treatment within the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust\n<\/p>\n
\n Now cancer-free, she says her experience has left her questioning many aspects of her care and feeling deeply let down by the health service she trusted.\n<\/p>\n
\n Catriona Dunbar (Image: STUART BOULTON)\n<\/p>\n
\n Catriona said she felt patients were being treated “like a conveyor belt” at the hands of the then clinical lead for breast services, Amir Ahmed Bhatti, and claimed there was little time for meaningful discussions during appointments.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I left my treatment in their hands completely,” she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n One of the most difficult periods came while she was recovering from surgery and receiving treatment in 2024.\n<\/p>\n
\n During a trip to Northern Ireland to attend a friend’s wedding, Catriona noticed a growth developing in her breast which rapidly increased in size.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said the swelling eventually grew to around the size of a plum.\n<\/p>\n
\n A County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust sign (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)\n<\/p>\n
\n “It was frightening because I didn’t know what was happening,” she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n The situation came to a head while she was shopping for underwear during the trip.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The growth suddenly burst,” she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I was standing in the shop, and it just happened. I felt completely humiliated and without dignity.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Catriona says the owner of the shop immediately closed to help her deal with the situation privately.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I’ll never forget the kindness she showed me,” she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Amir Ahmed Bhatti, the former clinical lead for breast surgery (Image: SUBMIT)\n<\/p>\n
\n After contacting hospital services back in the North East, Catriona says she was reassured that she would be “okay”.\n<\/p>\n
\n However, when she later attended hospital after returning home, she claims she was left feeling unwelcome.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I was asked, ‘Why are you here?’ It made me feel like I was a burden,” she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Catriona says she had previously requested a mastectomy but was advised against it, a decision she struggled to understand and which left her feeling frustrated.\n<\/p>\n
\n She also described consulting arrangements which she felt offered little privacy or opportunity to discuss concerns in detail.\n<\/p>\n
\n Among the most upsetting incidents, she says, was an appointment after her breast became infected following surgery.\n<\/p>\n
\n According to Catriona, a doctor drained the infected area with a surgical blade without discussing the procedure with her, offering anaesthetic or telling her what was going to happen.\n<\/p>\n
\n Catriona Dunbar and her husband Paul (Image: FAMILY)\n<\/p>\n
\n “There was no dignity in any of it,” she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n In December 2025, Catriona met with representatives from the trust to discuss her concerns.\n<\/p>\n
\n She says she was told during the meeting that mistakes had been made in her care.\n<\/p>\n
\n However, she claims that in letters afterwards, she was informed there was “no evidence” to support those conclusions.\n<\/p>\n
\n Her case is one of hundreds now being scrutinised as part of the ongoing breast cancer scandal at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.\n<\/p>\n
\n Catriona has also started legal proceedings about issues with her care.\n<\/p>\n
\n She is also part of a group of between 90 and 100 women who have launched a petition to get answers for thousands of women<\/a> who have been impacted.\n<\/p>\n