'Women want answers on breast cancer care harms'

Solicitor Chloe Gibson says thousands of women could have been affected

A law firm says it is getting calls everyday from women concerned about breast cancer care at an NHS Trust.

The BBC learned patients suffered unnecessary mastectomies, delayed diagnoses and a lack of compassionate care at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT).

More than 200 cases are being investigated at the trust, which has apologised. It includes 43 which were reported to involve significant harm and one which involved a person's death.

Slater and Gordon solicitor Chloe Gibson said something had gone "drastically wrong", adding: "These women are concerned and they want the answers that they do deserve."

The law firm is acting on behalf of a "growing number of women" and said it had seen a surge in inquiries.

Ms Gibson said: "We anticipate that this could impact thousands of women, maybe more.

"They've gone through cancer first of all, which is such a terrible thing to go through, but now they're being told the care that they received may not have been right. It's appalling."

Medical records of nearly 1,600 patients treated since 2023 are being examined.

An independent review said "persistent concerns" had been raised since 2012, when the trust lost its status as a training centre for breast surgery services.

CDDFT has apologised to "women and their families who have been harmed because of our substandard care".

The trust admitted that "over many years, warning signs were repeatedly missed or not acted upon".

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by cancer, BBC Action Line has a list of organisations that may be able to help.