A decade of missed warnings, ignored red flags, and 'systemic failures' have been laid bare in a damning independent report into the breast surgery service at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT).

The review, commissioned by the trust and carried out by governance expert Mary Aubrey, concludes that “the governance arrangements within the breast surgery service were inadequate, inconsistent, and failed to ensure patient safety.”

The document paints a devastating picture of a service that had, in the words of the report, been “operating in isolation , without effective oversight, accountability, or challenge.”

The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust sign (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

This is compounded by missed cancer diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries,

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