Daughter Believes Mother’s Death, a Paterson Patient, Was Preventable

During an inquest, a woman expressed a strong intuition that her mother’s passing, as a patient of the discredited breast surgeon Ian Paterson, might have been avoidable. Elaine Turbill, a 63-year-old married, retired legal secretary residing in Castle Bromwich, Solihull, succumbed to breast cancer in 2017. Ian Paterson, a former consultant surgeon, is currently serving a 20-year prison term following his conviction for numerous counts of wounding related to operations performed on breast cancer patients. Mrs. Turbill’s situation is the subject of the second among 62 inquests scheduled at Birmingham and Solihull Coroner’s Court, which are investigating whether his patients experienced an unnatural death. During the proceedings, testimony from her daughter, Gemma Turbill, presented by Judge Richard Foster, detailed her decision to leave her employment to provide care for her mother. Ms. Turbill, who was absent from the court, stated that her mother had been employed as a secretary for probation services until cancer necessitated her early retirement. She recounted that her mother cherished the “simple things in life” and possessed a smile that “lit up the room.” Despite occasional frustration throughout her illness, Elaine Turbill consistently maintained hope for a cure, but her cancer advanced from her breast, where she had undergone surgery, to her bones, liver, and brain, as her daughter elaborated. The court was informed that Ms. Turbill ceased working to provide full-time care for her ailing mother. “She needed assistance with a wheelchair. I washed and dressed her, took her to the toilet among other things,” she stated. “There were some days that she didn’t know who I was. Her death is still very painful for me.” The ongoing inquest is examining the breast surgery she received before the cancer’s advancement. An examination in 2010 revealed that Elaine Turbill had 20% of her breast tissue remaining, which Paterson had left following a procedure he termed a “cleavage-sparing mastectomy.” Her daughter informed the court: “I have a feeling in my stomach that [my mother’s death] could have been prevented.” On Tuesday morning, the inquest received testimony from Balapathiran Balasubramanian, a surgeon who collaborated with Paterson and characterized him as abrupt and argumentative. He testified to the court that in 2009, he had accepted Paterson’s assertion that he conducted “cleavage-sparing mastectomies” on only a limited number of patients, but by 2010, his opinion of his colleague had changed. Mr. Balasubramanian further stated his incomprehension as to why any breast tissue would be retained, explaining that the objective is to excise as much as feasible due to the aggressive nature of cancer. He indicated that Paterson possessed the capability to execute full mastectomies and that the operation was not technically challenging. Paterson was employed by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and also operated within the private sector at Spire Parkway and Spire Little Aston. He is scheduled to provide testimony on Wednesday and Thursday, but he declined to appear in court last week, alleging bias in the proceedings. The initial inquest, concerning the death of 43-year-old Chloe Nikitas, was postponed on 24 October to an unspecified future date. Mrs. Turbill’s inquest remains ongoing.