Thompsons Solicitors will be hosting a fundraising lunch during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October 2013) in order to raise vital funds for Breast Friends Sutton Coldfield; a charity that supports local women who are suffering from breast cancer.

Breast Friends Sutton Coldfield is a self-help group, run by unpaid volunteers who have all been diagnosed with breast cancer and undergone surgery. Its aim is to help local women with breast cancer by offering friendship, support and practical help.

Thompsons Solicitors teamed up with Breast Friends Sutton Coldfield as a result of their close working relationships with clients involved in high profile clinical negligence cases involving Mr Ian Paterson, a breast surgeon who worked at a number of NHS hospitals and private clinics throughout the Midlands area.

Paterson was suspended by the General Medical Council in autumn of 2012 for putting his patients’ lives at risk by performing ‘cleavage sparing’ mastectomies.

Thompsons is now investigating whether Ian Paterson also performed many unnecessary operations on his private patients.

The Breast Friends Sutton Coldfield lunch, coordinated by Thompsons’ staff, will be held on Wednesday 23 October. It’s hoped the fundraiser will help increase awareness about breast cancer, and highlight the work the charity does for patients who may have had problems with misdiagnosis.

A ‘bra bank’ has also been set up at Thompsons’ Birmingham office. The bra bank is a fundraising vehicle; Thompsons’ staff aim to collect as many bras as possible to pass onto Breast Friends Sutton Coldfield. The charity then sells the bras to traders in the developing world, and all of the money raised goes to support local women who are suffering from breast cancer.

Sian Thompson, a clinical negligence solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors says; “Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with close to 50,000 people being diagnosed each year.

“Breast Cancer survival rates in the UK continue to increase year on year and we’re delighted to contribute to a fantastic charity that provides emotional and practical support for local patients.”

Linda Millband is a senior medical negligence solicitor currently representing a large number of clients who have brought claims against breast surgeon, Ian Paterson. She said; “We represent more than 400 women and men affected by operations conducted by Ian Paterson and our specialist clinical negligence team has been truly touched by our clients’ stories. The Breast Friends Sutton Coldfield lunch is a chance for us to go beyond our professional duty to them as clients and show our solidarity with what they and their families are going through.”