NHS radiographer who left women feeling like 'pieces of meat' during mammograms struck off

A female radiographer who was accused of ”manhandling” patients and leaving others feeling like “a piece of meat” while carrying out mammograms has been struck off.

Oluwaseyi Idowu was employed as a radiographer at the Nottingham Breast Institute, part of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, to conduct screening and symptomatic mammograms.

After several reports were made about her conduct towards service users, Ms Idowu was taken to a Health & Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) misconduct hearing, where she was struck off.

On one occasion, the hearing heard Ms Idowu grabbed and pulled a patient's breast with her fingers, causing her pain and distress.

A colleague said the patient looked in pain and that she saw white marks on her breast as if she had been ”manhandled”.

Another patient said that she had suffered cuts, friction burns and pain after Ms Idowu failed to release the pressure of the clamps.

She said that the radiographer was ”pushing and prodding” her and later told her to relax in a hostile tone.

A third patient, known as Patient A, said that Ms Idowu had ”compressed (her) breasts in the machine on three occasions without obtaining an image”.

Patient A said that “no other mammographer had ever carried out the procedure in the manner [Ms Idowu] did”.

She said that the radiographer “finally squashed” her breasts into the machine, which sent a “shooting pain down the left side of her neck” - leaving her “upset and tearful”.

Other patients said they had similar experiences of suffering pain from the way they were treated - with one saying she “felt like a piece of meat”.

They said that Ms Idowu “had been dismissive and shown no empathy and left her feeling desperate and wanting to leave the room”.

One 5 ft 3 in tall patient said she had to stand on her tiptoes to put her breast into the machine as Ms Idowu would not lower the plates of the machine.

She said that “her breast was squeezed more than she had ever experienced before and that she experienced pain that she had not experienced before”.

The tribunal noted Ms Idowu’s choice not to attend the regulatory proceedings meant “she is either unable or unwilling to resolve her failings”,

The chair of the hearing said: "The Panel determined that [Ms Idowu's] conduct in all the particulars found proved was serious and fell seriously below the expected standards of a registered Radiographer.

"All the patients suffered both physical and emotional harm and had been traumatised.

"The Panel concluded that the conduct was remediable, but [Ms Idowu] had failed to demonstrate any insight or remediation into the serious nature and extent of her misconduct and its effect on patients, patients’ families, colleagues, the reputation of the profession and that of the HCPC as a regulator.

"Taken together, all of the factors set out above led the Panel to decide that, in light of the nature and gravity of the concerns, coupled with the real risk of repetition, a Striking Off Order was the only way in which the public could be protected."