Dr Ian Paterson faces calls for fresh investigation into 'unnecessary operations'

Ian Paterson was suspended by the General Medical Council in 2012

Solicitors are calling for a fresh investigation into a doctor suspended for performing unnecessary surgery at two West Midlands hospitals.

Dr Ian Paterson was suspended for carrying out mastectomies at private hospitals run by Spire Healthcare.

Thompsons Solicitors now claim he also performed 13 unnecessary colonoscopies on the same man between 2002 and 2009.

Spire Healthcare said any patients who were concerned about their treatment could call its dedicated helpline.

A review by the group, released earlier this month, showed Mr Paterson performed hundreds of unnecessary "cleavage-sparing" mastectomies at Spire Parkway in Solihull and Spire Little Aston in Sutton Coldfield.

He was suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2012 after it found the procedure breached national guidelines.

West Midlands Police said it was still investigating.

A 68-year-old man from the Midlands, who does not want to be named, claims Mr Paterson carried out 14 colonoscopies on him, when he should have only had one.

'Early recall'

After the procedures, he said Mr Paterson told him he "was not a specialist in that area" and he was referred to another doctor.

He said: "Mr Paterson kept telling me to have check-ups every six months to catch signs of bowel cancer early but my condition did not improve.

Mr Paterson worked at the two private hospitals from 1993 until 2012

"[I had] no reason to question Mr Paterson's treatment, I was very frightened about the possibility of cancer.

"My private health insurance went through the roof due to the amount of procedures Mr Paterson undertook and when I found out what had happened to me I felt stupid."

The man is being represented by Kashmir Uppal at Thompsons Solicitors, who said: "We are calling on Spire to carry out an early recall to patients who have had these procedures to put their minds at rest."

Dr JJ de Gorter, from Spire Healthcare said: "In conjunction with the General Medical Council and the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, [we are] continuing to investigate the practice of Mr Paterson.

"Any patient treated by Mr Paterson who has concerns about their care should call our dedicated phone line to speak with our professional medical staff."

The Medical Defence Union, which is representing Mr Paterson, said he was "unable to comment".