7 Response Accepted

UHB patient recall

Recommendation

We recommend that the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust board should check that all patients of Paterson have been recalled, and to communicate with any who have not been seen.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust stated that all known living patients of Ian Paterson had been contacted by August 2020 (Implementation update to Thirlwall Inquiry, DHSC/NHS England, April 2025).
- The Trust reported that by June 2021, all known former patients had their care reviewed and outstanding concerns addressed (Implementation update to Thirlwall Inquiry, DHSC/NHS England, April 2025).
- The government stated in December 2021 that over 12,000 patients had been recalled for review (Government Response to the Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Issues raised by Ian Paterson, DHSC, December 2021).
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Gemini (Google) on 30 Jun 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
Jurisdiction
England
Response
Accepted
Accepted University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
16 Dec 2021

Accepted and implemented. University Hospitals Birmingham has undertaken extensive patient recall programmes. Over 12,000 patients were recalled for review. Ongoing support is provided to affected patients. Trust has confirmed all identifiable patients have been contacted and offered review. (Source: Government Response, December 2021)

Progress Timeline
Official Report
01 Apr 2025

DHSC and NHS England implementation update provided to the Thirlwall Inquiry (April 2025). This is the government's own account of progress, submitted to the inquiry. Reviewed extent of implementation: Implemented – Ongoing. By August 2020, University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) had contacted all known living patients of Ian Paterson. By the end June 2021, UHB had ensured that all known former patients had their care reviewed and that any outstanding concerns were addressed in a way that was determined by the patient. UHB continues to support any relatives of the deceased who make contact by providing a detailed review/report of the care their loved one received. Relatives are offered the chance to discuss the findings in a meeting (some have taken up this offer).

Source
Report Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Issues raised by Paterson 04 Feb 2020
Responsible Bodies
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Primary
Recommendation age 6.5 yrs
Last formal update 484 days ago