The shocking independent review has laid bare a decade of systematic failures at the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT).
It found patients experienced avoidable harm due to outdated clinical practices, unnecessary surgeries, missed diagnosis, and poor communication.
It also found high-risk contracts were mismanaged and breached, repeated warnings were ignored, and an environment of low trust, suppressed whistleblowing, and high staff turnover.
New interim chair Alison Marshall and chief executive Steve Russell said they were “deeply sorry for the distress, pain and loss of trust”, admitting the trust “let patients down”.
The review said it was a “call to action” and that sustained leadership commitment, transparent reporting, and independent oversight is essential to ensure the failures “are never repeated and that the trust delivers the standard of care its patients deserve”.
The trust has accepted the findings and, as well as implementing improvements to the service, is outlining further plans to deliver what it calls an organisation-wide change.
It said it is now focusing on overhauling its governance and leadership, “delivering meaningful reform and restoring public confidence”.
The University Hospital of North Durham (Image: The Northern Echo)
Mr Russell, who took up the post in September 2025, said: “First and foremost, I want to say how deeply sorry we are.
“Reading this report and hearing the experiences of women and their families who were harmed has been profoundly upsetting. We failed to provide the standard of care our patients deserved, breached their trust, and for that, I offer my unreserved apology.
“Let us be clear – this is a turning point for our trust. To our patients and our staff – we are determined that this is a moment to reset CDDFT and to rebuild from the ground up to make sure patients receive the safe, kind and high-quality care they should always expect from us.
“And whilst patients are our purpose, and always will be, our staff – no matter what role they have – are the key.”
The trust has already begun implementing an action plan aligned with the recommendations of the review, commissioned by the trust and conducted by governance specialist Mary Aubrey.
Immediate priorities include strengthening leadership capacity, improving how it listens to patients, improving medical leadership, and creating a safe and open culture where the voices of staff are heard.
The trust recently appointed Ms Marshall as part of its immediate actions to strengthen leadership with two new interim non-executive directors also joining the Board.
She said: “This is a pivotal moment for change. Our duty now is to ensure the lessons identified “are turned into sustained improvement.
“We will continue to work openly with patients, families, communities, partners and regulators to rebuild confidence in our services.”
CDDFT will publish progress updates through its board and website, starting with an open board meeting on Wednesday, November 26.
The trust is also working closely with system partners, including NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, and the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, to provide independent assurance of progress.
A dedicated call line and email address are in place for any patients who have concerns about the care they have received through the breast surgery service:
0191 3332126, or email the team at cddft.breastservices@nhs.net
The trust said it recognises that “rebuilding confidence and embedding a change in culture will take time, but its leadership team has made it clear that this marks a turning point”.
Mr Russell added: “This is about ensuring that what happened here can never happen again and that it brings a cultural reset for the Trust.
“We will be open and transparent, we will listen, and, fundamentally, we will deliver the changes needed to make our services safer and stronger for the future for our communities.”