(Reuters) - Spire Healthcare (>> Spire Healthcare Group PLC) said it decided to settle claims against the company relating to actions by Ian Paterson, a former breast surgeon currently facing jail-time for carrying out operations on patients he wrongly diagnosed.

Ian Paterson, who was employed as a consultant by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, and who also operated in Spire's Parkway and Little Aston hospitals, was found guilty of the 20 charges he faced, the company said in April.

Britain's second-largest healthcare firm said 750 patients who were wrongly diagnosed would be compensated by a fund, the company said on Wednesday, adding that it will provide "a mechanism for dealing with" any new claims brought before Oct. 30, 2018.

The fund will be paid for by the company and the insurers of Ian Paterson, the company said. Spire Healthcare's contribution will be 27.2 million pounds.

The decision is expected to be considered by the high court in October.

(Reporting By Justin George Varghese in Bengaluru, editing by Louise Heavens)

Stocks treated in this article : RSA Insurance Group, Spire Healthcare Group PLC