Grandmother, 52, wins payout over botched breast surgery

The 52-year-old from Barnsley is among more than 20 women who have won damages totalling around 1m from Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, mainly for mistakes in reconstructive surgery carried out by specialist Ms Puvaneswary Markandoo.

The latest award of an undisclosed five-figure sum was made after the woman discovered that significant treatment she had received for breast cancer was unnecessary.

The patient, who does not want to be named, said: "It has been an absolute nightmare which is still having an effect on me today. From the moment I was diagnosed with breast cancer it has been a terrifying experience.

"Anyone who has had cancer knows that it turns your world upside down. To find out years after undergoing surgery that much of that treatment was unnecessary is indescribable.

"I have felt shocked, upset and angry, all the emotions you can imagine. You put your trust in a hospital and the doctor, believing you are in the best hands and that they will take care of you and do what is right for you, and then to discover that is not what happened at all, it leaves me at a loss.

"I am still on anti-depressants and I have been left terrified of what the future may hold in terms of my health. The thought of ever having to go back into hospital makes me feel anxious and frightened."

She was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 after finding a lump in her breast and referred to the hospital in Barnsley by her GP for tests. She should have undergone surgery to remove the cancerous lump and had tissue samples taken to see if the cancer had spread but instead Ms Markandoo performed more extensive surgery, involving the removal of lymph nodes.

The error was only discovered after the woman responded to an appeal in 2007 for former patients of Ms Markandoo to come forward after several other complaints were made.

Jenny Garbutt, of solicitors Raleys, said she hoped the women involved would feel "some sense of justice" had been served following the successful claims for compensation.

"The experience of this lady is just one of many. Many were breast cancer victims who had to undergo mastectomies and were having reconstructive surgery as part of their rehabilitation," she said.

"We dealt with cases where repeated surgery was needed to correct stitching which did not heal properly and where permanent damage had been done to the circulation in the breast tissue.

"To suffer the kind of injuries these women suffered in those circumstances is horrific."

A trust spokeswoman said it was working hard to make sure all outstanding claims were dealt with as "quickly and reasonably" as possible and it was pleased this case had now been settled.

Ms Markandoo was suspended after 35 women came forward to complain about problems after operations.

In total, 29 proceeded with compensation claims against the hospital. Health chiefs admitted negligent failings in a vast majority of payout cases.

In 2008, the General Medical Council found Ms Markandoo to be deficient in 11 areas of her job including basic and specialist surgery, arranging treatment, referring patients, relationships with colleagues and working within laws and regulations.

The GMC ruled that she was in future only permitted to practise in the NHS – not privately – and then only under a number of conditions, such as supervision and retraining, which are not available in the private sector.