Whistleblower 'ignored' by surgeon Ian Paterson

A doctor who helped blow the whistle on the jailed surgeon Ian Paterson described being ignored by him and being told he "didn't want anyone rocking the boat".

Hemant Ingle was appointed in late 2006 as a consultant breast surgeon at Solihull Hospital, where Paterson already worked.

Inquests into the deaths of 70 patients treated by Ian Paterson are being heard, to establish whether or not any of them died an unnatural death as a result of his care and treatment.

Paterson was jailed for 20 years in 2017 for wounding patients through botched and unnecessary operations.

At a hearing on Monday, the inquest was told that surgeon Hemant Ingle had since died, and his statement was read out in court.

Ingle said that when he had tried to introduce himself to Paterson, he "walked away without speaking to me".

In his first multi-disciplinary team meeting, which is held with a group medics to discuss patients' care, Paterson told Ingle: "You shouldn't have been appointed, we don't need you."

Ingle said he was completely taken aback.

He also stated that "a few people" had advised him against applying for the job, describing Paterson as "difficult to work with".

He was told that one surgeon had left after six months, and advised "if he doesn't want his career ruined then he better not apply there".

However, a clinical director at Solihull Hospital, Misra Budhoo, assured Ingle that "there were difficulties working with this consultant but they had all been sorted" and encouraged Ingle to apply for the job."

After a few months in post, Ingle described seeing patients that he was "becoming alarmed by".

Warning: This article contains images of post-surgery scarring

Among them was Marie Pinfield, a former West Midlands Police child protection officer.

She had undergone two double mastectomies performed by Ian Paterson.

Ingle said that he could not understand why, after two double mastectomies, she was still wearing a B cup bra and that a double mastectomy should mean a patient was left with a completely flat chest.

Marie Pinfield had complained about mounds of flesh left on her chest wall after her first operation by Paterson, and he performed a second double mastectomy.

"This was not a mastectomy in my book," Ingle said.

He also said that he discovered Paterson had "kept insisting that she should have a mastectomy and reconstruction."

"Marie kept saying that she did not want a reconstruction. It took three and a half months before he accepted that she definitely didn't want reconstruction before he undertook the mastectomy procedure," Ingle's statement said.

"According to our protocol, every cancer should be operated [on] within four weeks."

Marie Pinfield died in October 2008 of metastatic cancer.

Ingle said he had reported concerns about patients to management and that Paterson had challenged him about this.

He claimed Paterson told him that Solihull Breast Unit "was his baby" and that he "didn't want anyone rocking the boat."

Ingle said he told him: "Where am I coming to disturb the boat? I'm here to help you."

However, Paterson told him to discuss matters with him, rather than going to management.

Ingle added that at multi-disciplinary team meetings held to discuss patients, "no proper discussions" were undertaken, claiming Paterson dictated the course of action and "that if anybody challenged him he would get abusive."

In 2020, the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, which now runs Solihull Hospital, acknowledged "many of Paterson's patients received appalling treatment whilst under the care of the NHS".

Inquests into the deaths of 70 patients are expected to continue until Spring 2028.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.