County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT) has today apologised to patients and their families who have been affected by failings in the Breast Surgery Service, following an independent external review into leadership and governance failings. Alongside this the new Chief Executive and new Interim Chair have set out their determination and commitment to take action with a comprehensive programme of reform and improvement.
The review, commissioned by the Trust and conducted by governance specialist Mary Aubrey, identified serious and long-standing weaknesses in clinical oversight, leadership action and accountability, and governance processes. This enabled poor clinical practice to persist. The Trust has accepted the findings of the review and, in addition to having implemented improvements to the Breast Service so that patients can be confident they will receive care in line with national standards, is outlining further plans to deliver organisation-wide change.
The Trust has acknowledged the failings and is focused on overhauling its governance and leadership, delivering meaningful reform and restoring public confidence.
CDDFT Chief Executive Steve 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 a comprehensive action plan aligned with the review’s recommendations. Immediate priorities include:
- Strengthening leadership capacity and capability and improving corporate governance
- Improving clinical governance and how we listen to the voices of our patients experience and communication
- Creating a safe and open culture where the voices of our staff are heard, where we have professional curiosity and take action promptly.
- Improving how we manage contracts for services
- Improving medical leadership and management as well as the support to Consultants through job planning, appraisal and revalidation.
The Trust recently appointed a new Interim Chair, Alison Marshall, as part of its immediate actions to strengthen leadership with two new interim non-executive directors also joining the Board. Alison 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, ensuring full transparency as reforms are delivered. This will begin with Wednesday's open Board meeting. 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 helpline and email address are in place for any patients who have concerns about the care they have received through the breast surgery service. Contact the information and support call line on: 0191 3332126, or email the team at: cddft.
The Trust 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.
Steve 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.”
Public Notice: Governance Review – Public Board Meeting Livestream
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust will hold a meeting in public of the Board on Wednesday 26 November 2025 to discuss the findings of the independent Governance Review into our breast services and the Trust’s response.
To ensure as many people as possible can follow the discussion, it will be livestreamed on the Trust’s official channels from 9am:
A recording will remain available for those who cannot join live.
Please note that in-person attendance is unfortunately very limited due to room capacity. Anyone wishing to attend in person is asked to please register in advance by contacting the Foundation Trust Office on: 01325 74 3625 or email: cdda-tr.
It is important to us that patients, families, staff and the public have the opportunity to hear this discussion openly and directly.