Breast surgeon who left women in pain struck off

More than 30 patients came forward after concerns were raised about the work of specialist breast surgeon Puvaneswary Markandoo, 64, who was employed at Barnsley Hospital for three years until October 2008.

Of them, 26 made successful claims for compensation, receiving a total of almost £1.2m.

In 2008, Ms Markandoo was banned from practising in the private sector when the General Medical Council found her to be deficient in 11 areas of her job, but ruled she was still permitted to work in the NHS under conditions such as supervision and retraining.

Now, after a second GMC investigation, she has been stopped from working altogether.

A “fitness to practise” panel in Manchester heard that medical assessors checking Ms Markandoo’s performance last October decided that her work had got worse and she presented “a real risk to patient safety”.