News Beat
Woman bedbound after CDDFT breast cancer service experience
On Tuesday (November 25), a damning independent report was released into the breast surgery service at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT), which highlighted a decade of missed warnings, ignored red flags, and ‘systemic failures’.
Following publication of the report, a past patient of the service, Moira, has come forward to share her devastating story, saying she was left unable to walk or drive.
The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has said they are “deeply sorry to hear about Moira’s experience” and say they are “committed to supporting all patients affected by these issues”.
Moira claims she experienced lengthy delays in her being able to have a biopsy, with nine failed attempts and then a mix-up over patient samples, She says she then experienced distressing consequences after surgery, which she feared may be a haematoma.
She then went on to develop sepsis.
Although she had lived with MS for 24 years, maintaining her independence without issue, now she is unable to walk or to drive and pays privately for carers to come in to support her four times a day.
She says she is completely bedbound unless hoisted into a chair by her carers.
“This has been totally devastating. It has ruined my life, without a doubt,” says Moira, who is in her 60s.
“From the very start, and it taking so many attempts to get the biopsy, it has been such an ordeal. I have been in hospital, and back and forth to hospital, so many times, and my health has really gone downhill.
“I am at the point now where I need help just to do the basic things in my life.
“I never thought this would be the case at this age. I have had a very busy life and career, but now I am dependent on the care of others.
“The sepsis really made things get much worse very quickly. I have never been told whether that had anything to do with the fact I had an open wound for so long, but I do fear it may be the case.
“I have so many questions about everything I went through, and about the care I received.”
Moira said she had concerns about her care throughout, which she describes as “like there was a lack of care or consideration for me as a woman and for my situation”.
In one particularly distressing situation, after Moira’s breast doubled in size through swelling after surgery and then turned black, she initially went to A&E and was later seen by a specialist breast surgeon.
During her consultation, without any anaesthetic, she claims the surgeon cut her wound open and pulled out clots with his gloved hand.
She says her breast collapsed back to almost its normal size, but she was left with a hole that needed packing for five months until it healed.
Moira says she had to return to the hospital daily the following week and had support from district nurses for five months after.
The survivor also says she was also told that radiotherapy was not an option to treat her cancer while she had an open wound.
“I went to find some support as I was incredibly worried about my breast, which had become black and had swollen significantly,” Moira said.
“This surgeon was in his suit and put surgical gloves on – and without warning from him, and without any kind of anaesthetic, cut open my wound.”
“He began taking out handfuls of blood clots from my breast and putting them into a surgical bowl.
“While it wasn’t painful, it was uncomfortable and felt very concerning. Blood was pooling underneath me and down my left-hand side, which the nurses cleaned after the surgeon left the room.
“From the faces of the nurses who were present, I could tell this wasn’t normal.
“I didn’t know what to do, as I wanted my breast to get better, but the faces of the nurses told me everything I needed to know. They didn’t say anything about what he had done.
“I was left with a gaping hole, which needed to be packed every day for months. This in itself has been really very traumatic, aside from the cancer and the implications that have had on my life, and how difficult that has been to cope with – the way I was treated, and the real lack of genuine care for my needs, has been really devastating.”
Moira has turned to legal Slater and Gordon lawyers to find answers over what happened in her care.
“Moira’s story is extremely disturbing and is far from the standards of care anyone would expect, particularly in such a sensitive and traumatic situation as breast cancer,” said Chloe Gibson, clinical negligence solicitor who is representing her.
“Her account of some aspects of her care is truly horrific and something no woman should ever experience.
“We will support Moira in every way possible to find out what has gone so badly wrong in the care she received, and how she contracted the sepsis that has devastated her life and taken away her independence.”
In response to Moira’s experience, a spokesperson from County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are deeply sorry to hear about Moira’s experience with our breast services, and we recognise the significant impact this has had on her health, independence and quality of life.
“No patient should have to go through what she describes, and we are truly sorry for the distress and suffering she has endured.
“While we cannot comment on the specific details of Moira’s care without speaking with her directly, we would very much welcome the opportunity to do so, to listen to her concerns and to understand her experience fully.
“We would encourage her, or her family, to contact us so that we can offer support and respond to her personally.
“We are committed to supporting all patients affected by these issues, and we continue to work hard to ensure improvements are made and sustained.
“We know how important it is that people feel heard, respected and supported, and we will continue to learn from patient experiences to help prevent anything like this from happening again.”
