Ian Paterson: Death of Sheffield-born woman 'caused or contributed to' by disgraced surgeon, inquest hears

Christine Hill, who lived in Solihull when she died, was a patient of Paterson’s in the West Midlands. Paterson was jailed for 20 years, after his 2017 trial at Nottingham Crown Court heard how he carried out unapproved ‘cleavage-sparing’ mastectomies, which left breast tissue behind, risking a return of cancer.

Senior Coroner Louise Hunt said: “I do have reason to believe the deceased’s death was caused or contributed to by substandard treatment provided by Mr Paterson and other clinicians involved in the care of the deceased.”

Paterson was convicted in 2017 of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding. An inquiry later found he carried out unnecessary operations in NHS and private hospitals on more than 1,000 patients over 14 years, exaggerating or inventing cancer risks and claiming payments for more expensive procedures.

In January 2020, West Midlands Police asked Ms Hunt to look at a “random selection” of 23 former patients of Paterson’s, to decide whether any died of unnatural causes due to “potentially substandard treatment”. In July 2020, inquests into the deaths of seven of those patients were then opened and adjourned, the coronial investigation has been continuing, beyond that original selection of cases.

Christine Hill, who died of metastatic breast cancer in 2010, aged 81, was one of 13 women, all of whom were former patients of Ian Paterson, included in the inquests opened and adjorned at Birmingham Coroner’s Court today (Friday October 28). Future inquests would consider “any failings in supervision” of Paterson, including by “clinical colleagues” and whether they “should have informed the appropriate authorities”. The evidence would also examine whether there were “systemic failings by hospital management… in addressing and responding to concerns raised about Mr Paterson”.

Ms Hunt stressed to loved ones of those attending the openings that the adjournments were “pending the review of all the other cases”, after which there would be a pre-inquest review. An independent inquiry published in February 2020 said Paterson, who operated at NHS and Spire Healthcare hospitals in the West Midlands, performed unnecessary operations amid “dysfunctional” healthcare system that failed patients, and recommending more than 11,000 of his patients be recalled.