The County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT) has admitted that twenty women underwent unnecessary mastectomies whilst under its care, and that 315 of 514 reviewed cases resulted in patient harm, with 77 significantly harmed and one death confirmed. The trust has also identified missed or delayed cancer diagnoses that allowed disease to progress in some patients. This represents a serious failure in clinical care that has prompted both internal reviews and a criminal investigation by the National Crime Agency and Durham Police.

The cases appear linked to consultant Amir Bhatti, the trust's clinical lead for breast services from 2013 to 2024, who has now been suspended from clinical practice but remains employed on full pay. The trust paid nearly £6 million to private diagnostic clinics and surgery companies run by Bhatti, and a governance review raised concerns that outsourcing arrangements created financial incentives potentially damaging clinical standards. CDDFT's review currently covers cases from January 2023 to February 2025, but a decision to extend it back to 2015 is pending, which could reopen up to 10,000 medical records.