A County Durham woman has told how her breast cancer test was allegedly misread as negative while under the care of a surgeon now at the centre of an NHS scandal, only for her to later discover she had a rare form of the disease.
Alison Deighton, 69, from Durham, says she was reassured she did not have cancer in 2009 following tests carried out under the care of Amir Bhatti, the former clinical lead in the breast cancer surgery service at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.
But despite being told her results were negative, Alison remained convinced something was wrong and sought further medical advice.
Her fears were eventually confirmed when she was diagnosed with Paget's disease of the breast, a rare form of cancer affecting the nipple and surrounding skin.
Breast Cancer scandal victim Alison Deighton from Durham (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
She claims her mammogram had also been misread as negative, with a subsequent private rereading identifying concerns which had initially been missed.
Now, 17 years later, Alison believes trusting her instincts may have saved her life.
"Thankfully, my instinct saved me," she told The Northern Echo.
Her account comes as the NHS trust faces continuing scrutiny over serious failings in its breast services, with a major review of patients' care being extended backwards through earlier years.
A spokesperson for Dr Bhatti previously said that "serving the best interests of all our patients is of paramount importance" and when things go wrong ", we learn from this and make the necessary changes and improvements".
Amir Bhatti (Image: SUBMIT)
As previously reported by The Northern Echo, the trust has agreed to review cases one year at a time, working backwards towards 2015, following concerns about missed diagnoses, unnecessary operations and harm suffered by patients.
“We know the look-back itself can bring further worry and distress. Our support will remain open and available throughout. Where we identify concerns about someone's care, we will contact them directly and make sure they receive the information and support they need.
"We cannot change what happened, but we can continue to listen, support those affected and do everything we can to get this next stage right.”
But Alison believes the investigation should go back even further, potentially to 2005, when Mr Bhatti first joined the trust.
Alison Deighton, 69 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
"It should be looked back more extensively. The Trust was no better in 2009 than it was for the women that came after that," she said.
Alison's ordeal began in early 2009 when she sought medical help over concerns about changes to her breast.
She says an initial swab taken by Mr Bhatti returned a negative result, leaving her reassured that she did not have cancer.
However, Alison remained concerned and sought a second opinion, later returning to her GP for further advice.
She was advised to seek further assessment through breast cancer services, where additional investigations raised concerns.
Breast Cancer scandal victim Alison Deighton, 69 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Further tests eventually revealed she had Paget's disease of the breast.
Alison says an MRI scan and other investigations identified seven areas of concern spanning approximately seven centimetres beneath her nipple.
She subsequently underwent surgery, including the removal of her nipple, and attended the former Dryburn Hospital in Durham for reconstruction later that year.
Having previously worked as a medical secretary, Alison believes her familiarity with medical terminology helped her challenge the original findings.
But she fears other women may not have had the same confidence to question what they were told.
Alison alleges that concerns she raised about her care were dismissed by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, which she says defended Mr Bhatti's treatment.
She also claims some of her medical records were lost, leaving her struggling to establish exactly what had happened.
Steve Russell, chief executive of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (Image: CHRIS BOOTH)
"They were very slow in getting back to me. It was appalling how they treated me," she said.
"I had so many questions after my procedure and [was] made to feel as if I was making things up, that was the worst part.
"I still have unanswered questions about my care all these years later. How could they let this happen?"
As previously reported by The Northern Echo, Mr Bhatti, who was the trust's clinical lead for breast services between 2013 and 2024, was stopped from performing breast surgery in February 2025 after patient safety concerns emerged.
Those restrictions were subsequently widened to prevent him from carrying out any clinical duties.
The Northern Echo also previously reported that Mr Bhatti remains employed by the trust and on full pay, with chief executive Steve Russell confirming in September that he was on sick leave while an investigation into his conduct continued.
Alison Deighton from Durham (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
The trust's wider breast services review has identified serious failings, including patients undergoing unnecessary surgery and others experiencing delayed cancer diagnoses.
Figures published in September showed that, of 539 cases reviewed at that stage, 78 patients had suffered moderate or severe harm, while 20 cases involved delayed diagnoses.
The process is intended to work backwards towards 2015, with the findings from each year considered before decisions are made about the next stage.
The trust has acknowledged serious and longstanding failings within its breast services and apologised to women and families affected.
It has also recognised that there were occasions when concerns should have been listened to more carefully and action taken sooner.
However, Alison fears women treated before 2015 could still be left without answers.
She says reading about other patients raising concerns over their treatment has brought back painful memories of her own experience.
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"After that happened to me, to read that it was happening for years, some before me, lots after me, was sickening, to tell you the truth," she said.
Alison believes the review should examine whether opportunities to identify concerns about patient care were missed years before the current investigation began.
For her, the issue remains deeply personal, with questions about her own treatment still unanswered more than a decade and a half later.
"I wish they'd listened to me then," she said.
Anyone who is worried about previous breast care at any point in time can continue to contact the Trust's dedicated support team:
- Telephone: 0191 333 2126
- Email: cddft.breastservices@nhs.net