Doctors' watchdog says questions need to be asked as it vows swift tribunal

Questions must be asked about how rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson was able to carry out a raft of unnecessary operations, a leading medical regulatory body has said.

In the wake of his sentencing, which saw the 59-year-old handed a 15-year jail term for 20 counts of wounding against 10 patients, the General Medical Council (GMC) said it is crucial such crimes are prevented from happening again.

Speaking after Paterson was jailed following a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, Charlie Massey, chief executive and registrar of the GMC, said Paterson's crimes were “deeply shocking acts that betrayed patients' trust''.

He added: “It is absolutely right that questions are asked about how this happened and more crucially how the health system can prevent it from happening again.

“As soon as we were made aware of these issues we took action to curb his practice and then suspend him, but his practice went unchecked for so long because some of those in the health system, managers but also his colleagues, had their concerns but failed to report them to us.

“The world is a fundamentally different place now, with regular checks on a doctor's fitness to hold a licence and a UK-wide network of senior medical staff responsible for ensuring that every aspect of their doctors' competence and behaviour is up to standard.

“We will now continue with the fitness to practise process which was paused while the criminal proceedings were carried out, and seek to hold a tribunal based on Ian Paterson's conviction as swiftly as possible.''

Paterson was suspended by the GMC in 2012 amid claims he carried out so-called cleavage-sparing mastectomies, where part of the breast is left for cosmetic reasons, which led to the recall of more than 700 patients.