\n James Murray is facing growing pressure from The Northern Echo, campaigners, MP\u2019s and legal teams to intervene, saying that those impacted women deserve more than apologies after missed cancers, delayed diagnoses and years of warnings.\n<\/p>\n
\n Women and bereaved families caught up in the scandal say they have been left with one simple question for the Health Minister: how many more reviews, apologies and investigations will it take before the Department of Health and Social Care steps in?\n<\/p>\n
\n Health Secretary James Murray (Image: Peter Byrne\/PA MEDIA)\n<\/p>\n
\n The Northern Echo has made numerous attempts to contact the Department of Health and Social Care over the last few weeks, to no avail.\n<\/p>\n
\n At the centre of mounting public concern is former breast services clinical lead Amir Ahmed Bhatti, who remains employed by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust on full pay<\/a>, but is currently barred from carrying out any clinical work while investigations continue.\n<\/p>\n \n A petition calling for a public inquiry has now gathered more than 1,500 signatures<\/a>, and around 1,500 patient records remain under review. At the same time, Durham Police continue to investigate whether any criminal offences may have taken place<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n \n Meanwhile, the Trust was subject to a damning Care Quality Commission (CQC) report earlier this week<\/a>, which showed deteriorating standards of care and a culture of \u201cturning a blind eye\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n This comes months after it was reported that Darlington Memorial Hospital’s water supply was affected, due to recurring outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant bacteria CPE<\/a> and Legionella.\n<\/p>\n \n To manage the risk, the trust restricted access to taps and showers on some wards, requiring patients to use “water-light” wipes to clean themselves.\n<\/p>\n \n It was also reported earlier this month that a Darlington woman was left on an A&E trolley in a hospital corridor for 18 hours<\/a>, so long that when her husband returned the next morning, she was in the same spot.\n<\/p>\n \n \n 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 following concerns raised during the breast service investigation.\n<\/p>\n \n Mr Bhatti attempted to challenge those restrictions in the High Court earlier this year<\/a> but lost.\n<\/p>\n \n For campaigners, his continued employment on full pay while patients wait for answers has become a symbol of what they describe as a scandal defined by delay, mistrust and lack of accountability.\n<\/p>\n \n The scandal centres on breast cancer services at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, where independent reviews identified missed cancers, delayed diagnoses, inappropriate procedures and long-running concerns<\/a> about clinical practice, with the report calling it \u201cdecade-long systemic failures\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n The Trust has accepted the findings of recent reviews, apologised to affected patients and said it is \u201cprofoundly sorry\u201d, acknowledging missed cancers, delays in diagnosis, unnecessary procedures and care that fell far below the standards patients deserved.\n<\/p>\n \n But campaigners say apologies are not enough.\n<\/p>\n \n The campaign is calling for a national inquiry, reform of breast cancer services at the Trust and accountability for those responsible<\/a> for the care of affected patients.\n<\/p>\n \n A police reporting portal has also been opened<\/a> for people who believe they may have been victims of crime because of surgery through breast cancer services.\n<\/p>\n \n For campaigners, the question is no longer whether serious failings happened. It is whether the Government is prepared to uncover the full truth, with those impacted warning that the true figure of women impacted by this \u201ccould be in the tens of thousands\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n \n Among those backing the calls for a public inquiry is Nadeen Lister, 53, from Stanley, who says she discovered a lump in her breast in 2017<\/a> and was initially reassured it was \u201cnothing to worry about\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n She says she was seen by Mr Bhatti after being referred to the Trust\u2019s breast service, and told the lump was likely to be fatty tissue.\n<\/p>\n \n \n Believing she had been given the all-clear, she returned home.\n<\/p>\n \n But as the lump continued to grow over the following months, she sought further medical advice from her GP and was later diagnosed with lobular breast cancer.\n<\/p>\n \n Her treatment included a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.\n<\/p>\n \n \n During treatment, she also developed sepsis.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe need the government to look into this and get justice for thousands of women,\u201d added Nadeen.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe need justice!\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n Catriona Dunbar, also from Stanley, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and underwent treatment through the Trust<\/a> while Mr Bhatti was clinical lead of breast services.\n<\/p>\n \n \n She has raised concerns about complications following surgery, infection treatment and what she describes as a lack of dignity during her care.\n<\/p>\n \n Catriona said she felt patients were being treated \u201clike a conveyor belt\u201d and claimed there was little time for meaningful discussions during appointments.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThere was no dignity in any of it,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n \n The campaign is being led by Amelia Green<\/a>, whose sister Michaela died from triple-negative breast cancer in 2009.\n<\/p>\n \n \n Amelia was later diagnosed with stage three breast cancer herself and says she was also seen by Mr Bhatti after being referred to the Trust\u2019s breast cancer service.\n<\/p>\n \n Amelia said she told Mr Bhatti that her sister had died from cancer after being asked about her family history, and claims he replied: \u201cWell, that\u2019s unfortunate.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n She later sought a second opinion before undergoing surgery at Newcastle\u2019s Freeman Hospital.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s not about compensation,\u201d Amelia said.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s about justice for my sister and justice for the thousands of women impacted who have had their lives changed forever.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe need a full investigation and public inquiry into this scandal at the NHS Trust.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n The scandal has also raised questions about wider governance around breast cancer services and outsourced clinics.\n<\/p>\n \n Mr Bhatti was a director of two private healthcare companies to which two-week-wait breast outpatient clinics were contracted on a pay-per-patient agreement, which were partly run from Spire Hospital in Washington.\n<\/p>\n \n \n A Spire spokesperson said: \u201cA Spire spokesperson: \u201cIn the outsourced breast service provided to patients of County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT) at Spire Washington Hospital, patients attended for outpatient consultations and diagnostic tests only.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cAll further care and treatment, including diagnosis and treatment decisions, was undertaken and delivered at the Trust with oversight from the Trust\u2019s Multidisciplinary Team.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n Spire said it had contacted several patients who received breast care under Mr Bhatti, who is no longer practising at Spire, and that any patients with concerns can contact the hospital directly.\n<\/p>\n \n The Department of Health and Social Care is now led by James Murray, with campaigners saying his arrival in the role gives the Government a chance to act decisively.\n<\/p>\n \n \n They want Mr Murray to answer whether he believes the current reviews are enough, whether the Government accepts that failings may go back further than the current patient lookback period, and whether ministers will support a statutory public inquiry and bring those responsible to justice.\n<\/p>\n \n The Trust has accepted independent review findings and said: \u201cThis should not have happened\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n Lawyers representing affected women have also backed calls for a full public inquiry<\/a>, arguing that only a judge-led process could properly examine healthcare failings, governance, oversight, private clinic arrangements and decisions made by senior figures over many years.\n<\/p>\n \n MPs have also voiced concern.\n<\/p>\nA County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust sign (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)\n<\/p>\n
Durham Police HQ, Ayckley Heads, Durham (Image: Stuart Boulton)\n<\/p>\n
Nadeen Lister, from Stanley (Image: NADEEN LISTER)\n<\/p>\n
Nadeen Lister during her treatment (Image: NADEEN LISTER)\n<\/p>\n
Nadeen Lister and Catriona Dunbar (Image: Stuart Boulton)\n<\/p>\n
Nadeen Lister and Catriona Dunbar (Image: Stuart Boulton)\n<\/p>\n
Catriona Dunbar (Image: SUPPLIED)\n<\/p>\n
Darlington Memorial Hospital (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)\n<\/p>\n
Mary Foy, City of Durham MP (Image: PARLIAMENT)\n<\/p>\n