Donna Finegan-White, 44, a mother of two from Swindon, underwent a double mastectomy in 2014 because breast cancer runs in her family. When she woke from the operation at The Great Western Hospital she discovered she had been given breast implants she had not requested, and they were much larger than her original breasts. Ms Finegan-White received a £10,000 payout and, after waiting two years, had the implants removed at another hospital in 2016; she later required further surgery when a blood clot developed after the removal. She says doctors apologised after failing to spot two inoperable tumours and in March was told she has a rare terminal cancer of the trachea and was given about two years to live; she is seeking legal action again. The Great Western Hospital has been contacted for comment and denies any wrongdoing. Donna Finegan-White said the surgeons made the mistake with her not once but twice. She underwent a double mastectomy in October 2014 to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer after both her late mother, Carol Manola, and her aunt were diagnosed with the disease. She had requested temporary expanders, which stretch the skin and pectoral muscle, and never agreed to implants; instead she says permanent sub-pectoral breast implants were inserted without her consent. Finegan-White, who said she had been undecided about reconstruction and had only signed for removal, complained that the surgeons cut corners to save time and money and that the treatment left her severely affected. She sought medical help several times for pain and swelling and suffered a significant psychological reaction, and ultimately underwent corrective surgery to remove the implants at a different hospital in Oxford on 23 February 2016. She has a son, Dominic, 25, and a daughter, Shakira, 23. After being discharged that evening, she felt a pain in the right side of her body and was rushed back to the hospital for another life-saving operation after doctors discovered a blood clot. The Great Western Hospital in Swindon had given her breast implant surgery without her consent. After receiving her payout, in March this year she was told she had a rare cancer of the trachea, which she believes is linked to tumours missed by doctors. She is now planning to sue The Great Western Hospital Trust again, blaming them for missing the cancer on CT scans she had following her initial surgery in 2014. She said, "They came over to my bedside when I was in hospital and said, 'Sorry Donna, we've looked back at your CT scans from 2014 and we didn't spot your tumours.' My friend was sat next to me when they told me, so I've got a witness to prove it."

Describing the incident with her breasts, she said, "I expected to come out of the surgery risk free of breast cancer and without permanent implants, as this was what had been agreed upon. Yet I woke up with implants, which I had never signed for in the consultations with the surgeon. At this point I felt shocked, very upset and frustrated, as it was completely unexpected. We put a great deal of trust in medical staff, relying on them for expert care. I just feel totally let down and angry by the care I received." Ms Finegan-White said: "I suffered a great deal of pain and trauma for months because of the implants that I never signed up for. By speaking out I hope my story reminds hospitals of the importance of upholding patient consent." She has called on hospital trusts to ensure they honour the wishes of patients and has instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the level of care she received from Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust denied it had acted negligently but admitted the issue of whether Donna consented to the implants fell below "reasonable standards" and the matter was settled out of court. A Great Western Hospital spokesman told MailOnline: "We were given consent by the patient for implants in 2014, we did not act negligently and the case was settled in 2016. We have clear and effective consent processes that are followed across the Trust, which outline the risks that patients may face during and after any surgery, including the common risk of blood clots. As part of our continued improvement in services we are further strengthening our consent processes."

James Pink, expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Donna, said: "Donna had undergone counselling at the request of the hospital trust to prepare psychologically for a double mastectomy and was incredibly shocked and upset to come out of surgery with implants she had not consented to." This was already a distressing time, and this just compounded her problems. The NHS had shown care and compassion in helping Donna prepare for her surgery. However, an operation that was intended to reduce Donna's risk of developing breast cancer ended up causing her unnecessary distress and suffering.