University Hospital of North Durham (Image: Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)

A leading private healthcare firm said it is "supporting" a North East NHS Trust as it reviews hundreds of breast cancer patients after "very serious failings" in care were revealed. Spire Healthcare held an outsourced contract for breast cancer services - specifically diagnostic services.

Some surgical procedures took place under a different agreement, ChronicleLive understands, with decisions around the management of patients and any surgical procedures said to be managed by staff at the County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust. Breast cancer services at the trust have been heavily criticised in a series of reports this year, as previously reported.

In April, the NHS trust, announced a "probe" into its breast

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