A 'mystery' surgeon operated on a breast cancer patient at a scandal-hit trust and ran a private clinic inside hospital grounds - but bosses have no record of him or the firm.
An investigation by The Northern Echo has uncovered documents detailing that a 'Mr Irfan' assisted in an operation carried out on a breast cancer patient at the County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust.
A consultant with the same name was also running a private clinic from Room 32 inside the doctor's accommodation block owned and run by the trust in the grounds of the University Hospital of North Durham.
But the new bosses at the trust, which is under police investigation, have no record of who the consultant was or the firm run from their grounds registered under the same name.
Patients and an MP have now renewed calls for a public inquiry and for Sue Jacques, the former CEO who ran the trust during the scandal to be stripped of her OBE.
After we alerted them, Durham Police have confirmed they are continuing to look into the trust as part of their investigation, and trust chief Steve Russell confirmed it is investigating to uncover the identity.
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust former CEO Sue Jacques (Image: Northern Echo)
The latest revelations come after a review into breast cancer treatment at CDDFT, which saw a decade of missed warnings, ignored red flags and “systemic failures”, will be extended to a further 4,500 patients.
Damning reports revealed hundreds of women have been harmed, one woman died, and 20 women underwent unnecessary mastectomies.
At the centre of the scandal is former breast surgery lead at the trust, Amir Bhatti, who was barred from surgery in February 2025 before the restrictions were widened later that year to stop him carrying out any clinical work.
When news of the scandal broke, one woman, who wished to remain anonymous, was shocked to discover she was one of those potentially harmed.
She first sought medical help after discovering a lump in her left breast in 2017 and was urgently referred to a breast clinic at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.
She says she was reassured that the lump was likely fatty tissue and nothing to worry about.
However, it continued to grow over the following months until it was the size of an orange.
After returning to her GP, further investigations revealed tumours and lobular breast cancer.
She underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and developed sepsis during treatment.
She believes a biopsy should have been carried out at her first appointment and says seeking further medical advice ultimately saved her life.
The County Durham patient has since been told that several of the procedures she underwent were unnecessary.
The patient also began to look back through her treatment records and was "baffled" by seeing a 'Mr Irfan registered' as assisting with the surgery - but she could not recall meeting a Mr Irfan or having consultations with him.
The patient's notes with 'Mr Irfan' on (Image: SUBMIT)
She said: "I was just stunned. I had never spoken to this person or know who he is and no one I asked could give me answers."
The Northern Echo presented the chief exec of the trust, Mr Russell, with a copy of the patient's notes from her 2017 operation.
Despite the evidence given to Mr Russell, he told us he couldn't "right this minute" clarify who Mr Irfan was.
He said: "The patient met with me and another member of the board, Kelly Angus, and raised these concerns herself.
"Her surgery happened back in 2017, which is before my time. Kelly and I are both not aware of any individual with this name, and this is not information we hold at this time."
Chief Executive of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Steve Russell (Image: Chris Booth)
The patient said: "I can't understand how the trust can have no clue who this is.
"It's bad enough what happened to me and other women. But this is scandalous.
"It needs to be investigated as a matter of urgency. It's shocking.
"The only way for justice and answers at this point is a public inquiry. We want the government to intervene and force the trust into giving answers about all of these questions we have. And Sue Jacques who was in charge should not be allowed to keep an OBE she should never have been given."
Further investigations by The Northern Echo into 'Mr Irfan's' identity also uncovered a 'Mr Irfan' who was listed as a director of HCM Medics LTD, specialising in 'hospital activities' on Companies House.
Records showed that the company was first registered in May 2016 with the trading address as Room 32, Doctor Residence, University Hospital of North Durham (UHND), North Road, Durham, which is the staff accommodation block on the UHND site.
University Hospital of North Durham in Durham City (Image: CHRIS BOOTH)
But trust bosses have no record of the company operating inside its grounds.
Mr Russell could only confirm: "We are investigating who Mr Irfan is and his role within the trust."
HCM Medics Ltd was later moved to an address in Kerryhill Drive, Pity Me, County Durham, in October 2016.
We visited Kerryhill Drive to ask residents, some of whom had lived on the street for 20 years, whether they knew of a 'Dr Irfan'. No one had heard of him.
Kerryhill Drive, Pity Me, Durham (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
HCM Medics Ltd had its address changed again to Lyndon Road in Solihull, near Birmingham, in January 2019, before the company was dissolved in October 2020.
The Northern Echo contacted the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) in England, Ireland and Scotland, which identified numerous Mr Irfans currently registered across the UK.
They confirmed only three of them were registered before 2017, when the patient's operation took place.
We contacted the NHS trusts that these individuals belonged to. The Northern Echo was told that, due to GDPR guidelines, trusts couldn't share information with us, and when we contacted them directly to speak to the doctors, we were told that we couldn't.
However, we understand that none of the Mr Irfans currently registered with the GMC or Royal College of Surgeons are connected to HCM Medics Ltd or involved in this investigation.
Last month, the Echo reported that Amir Bhatti is on sick leave but remains employed and on full pay.
Mr Bhatti, who joined the trust in 2005, was barred from breast cancer surgery in February 2025 before the restrictions were widened later that year to stop him carrying out any clinical work.
But he went to the High Court to challenge for restrictions to be lifted and to stop the trust reimposing them. The trust defended the case, and the court kept the restrictions in place.
Our investigation comes amid an expanding review into breast cancer treatment at CDDFT.
An independent review led by governance expert Mary Aubrey identified a decade of missed warnings, ignored red flags and “systemic failures”, initially finding that 51 women had been harmed.
The trust has since found that hundreds of patients were harmed, including 20 women who underwent unnecessary mastectomies.
The trust board agreed last month to extend its patient review, which currently covers January 2023 to February 2025.
The review will then examine cases from 2022 and work backwards year by year to 2015, potentially covering around 4,500 women.
Documents suggest the review could take five years, meaning some women treated in 2015 may wait until 2031 for their cases to be examined.
City of Durham MP, Mary Foy, has also backed calls for a public inquiry, and has backed The Northern Echo's calls to strip former CDDFT chief executive, Sue Jacques, of her OBE.
"The priority now has to be getting every affected woman the answers and support she deserves, establishing the full scale of what happened, and demonstrating that the changes being made genuinely prevent this from happening again," she said.
"I cannot comprehend how an OBE for services to the NHS could remain with the individual who was leading County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT) when unscrupulous activity within breast surgery services was potentially at its height."
Ms Foy has also committed to writing to Health Secretary Yvette Cooper and Prime Minister Andy Burnham over both issues.
Durham Police confirmed it received an allegation in November relating to breast cancer services at the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust and that it was still reviewing material to determine if any criminal offences have occurred.
Read more:
- King Charles urged to strip NHS boss of OBE after breast cancer scandal
- Surgeon at centre of breast cancer scandal now on sick leave and remains on full pay
- Calls grow to strip former County Durham NHS boss of 'slap in the face' OBE
A spokesman added: “Concerns about clinical care in relation to breast care services should be directed to the trust’s dedicated call line on 0191 333 2126.
“However, a portal remains open at mipp.police.uk where anyone who believes they have been a victim of crime as a result of surgery through Breast Cancer Services since 2023 can report to the police.
"Members of the public can log their details, and they will then be contacted by specialist officers from the inquiry team.”