My surgeon experimented on me and ruined my life

Leann Sutherland was 21 and suffering from chronic migraines erstwhile 1 of Scotland's apical surgeons offered to operate.

She was told she would beryllium successful infirmary for a fewer days and had a 60% accidental of improvement. Instead she was successful for months portion Sam Eljamel operated connected her 7 times.

The BBC tin uncover her surgeon - the erstwhile caput of neurosurgery astatine NHS Tayside - was harming patients and putting them astatine hazard for years but the wellness committee fto him transportation connected regardless.

NHS Tayside has consistently claimed it lone knew astir concerns from June 2013 and that they enactment him nether supervision astatine that constituent but an NHS whistleblower has told the BBC the wellness committee knew arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2009 that determination were superior concerns.

BBC Scotland has spoken to 3 surgeons who worked nether Mr Eljamel astatine Tayside. All 3 said helium was a bully who was allowed to get distant with harming patients.

All 3 said determination was a deficiency of accountability successful the section and that Mr Eljamel was allowed to behave arsenic if helium were a "god" - partially due to the fact that of the probe backing helium brought to the department.

The wellness committee told the BBC it was moving with the Scottish authorities to enactment an autarkic reappraisal of patients' attraction nether Mr Eljamel and that it could not remark connected idiosyncratic cases.

Before her cognition successful 2011 Leann utilized to enactment full-time and spell connected holidays overseas with friends but her beingness was blighted by migraines.

Mr Eljamel, reputed to beryllium the champion neurosurgeon successful Scotland, told her helium could help.

It would beryllium 1 cognition and she would beryllium location successful a substance of days, she was told.

He would region a tiny portion of her skull to alleviate unit and helium told her helium would usage a caller glue to seal the wound.

Leann told the BBC: "Unfortunately it did not seal decently and it burst.

"The coiled burst unfastened and the encephalon fluid started to determination retired the backmost of my neck."

She says the adjacent time her infirmary furniture was "soaked" with her spinal fluid.

When she got up to usage the bath she collapsed and said the fluid went each implicit the floor. A caregiver enactment a bedewed level informing motion connected the area.

Leann says that her mum had to pursuit Mr Eljamel down a corridor to get him to travel and look astatine her - astatine which constituent she was rushed backmost into surgery.

Leann spent months successful hospital. She contracted meningitis and developed hydrocephalus. Mr Eljamel ordered her to person 4 lumbar punctures - which her aesculapian notes accidental she specifically should not person had.

Leann knows present helium was utilizing the glue arsenic portion of a probe trial.

"Experimenting connected maine - that's what helium was doing," she says.

"There can't beryllium immoderate different crushed to effort a glue, effort antithetic shunts, that's experimenting.

She adds: "He had escaped rein connected my body. He was playing deity with my assemblage and the NHS handed him the scalpel, 7 times."

When Leann raised tried to rise concerns with unit she was told that Mr Eljamel had saved her life. She was not told that helium was nether investigation, nor that helium had been aboriginal forced to measurement down.

It was lone aft seeing caller BBC sum she realised she was not alone.

Leann is present 33. She lives successful changeless pain. She needs crutches to locomotion and has a conduit - called a shunt - done her assemblage controlling her spinal fluid.

"Everything is changed," she says. "My imagination was to beryllium a constabulary serviceman and that volition ne'er happen.

"I conflict with that, not being capable to person the vocation you want, not being capable to person the manner you want, not being capable to person children.

"A batch of things person been taken distant done nary responsibility of my own."

Leann is 1 of 99 patients calling for a nationalist enquiry to find retired precisely what harm Mr Eljamel did.

The harm to her and different patients is irreversible but she wants to guarantee the wellness committee is held accountable and that nary different surgeon tin origin specified damage.

She says she lone realised helium had harmed patients aft seeing a communicative by BBC Scotland.

"I thought it was conscionable me, I didn't cognize determination was 99 different people," she says.

"I don't recognize however helium got to lavation the humor disconnected his hands and spell home."

Mr Eljamel was suspended by NHS Tayside pursuing interior and outer reviews successful 2013 and went to enactment successful Libya.

For the archetypal time, 3 radical who worked with Mr Eljamel person spoken to the BBC.

Mark, not his existent name, says helium is speaking retired present due to the fact that helium fears the wellness committee has inactive not learnt the lessons of the past.

"I did rise concerns astatine the clip but I was unopen down," helium says.

"Part of maine feels blameworthy I did not bash thing [more] astir it but I was excessively junior.

"We were told we would ne'er get our traineeship."

He says nurses, elder surgeons and managers knew astatine slightest arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2009 that Eljamel was regularly distant from the infirmary doing backstage enactment erstwhile helium was meant to beryllium operating connected patients.

Mark says that connected a play ground Mr Eljamel near inferior surgeons to run unsupervised.

"Letting a inferior run erstwhile you're not adjacent successful the gathering and a diligent coming to harm is negligent," helium says.

"NHS Tayside has covered things similar this up for a agelong clip successful Dundee..

"It went each the mode up to the board. They each knew astir it."

Mark remembers connected 1 juncture being successful country to ticker the inferior operating connected Mr Eljamel's diligent erstwhile the inferior surgeon accidentally chopped done the spinal cord.

He said the spinal fluid was "pouring out" and that helium and different surgeon were sent moving to find a much elder surgeon. That diligent was near permanently disabled.

"What has this apical neurosurgeon done to these patients?" He says. "I deliberation superior harm. Cover-ups hap truthful these things request to beryllium looked into again.

"Drawing a enactment is casual to accidental but the civilization volition not alteration if you conscionable gully a enactment successful the sand. You request to alteration the civilization archetypal to support the patients."

The 3 surgeons told america Mr Eljamel discouraged the usage of X-rays due to the fact that helium was truthful arrogant and due to the fact that it saved him money.

It is thought that arsenic a effect helium operated successful the incorrect spot connected the spines of astatine slightest 70 patients - leaving galore permanently disabled.

Mark says 1 of the reasons Mr Eljamel was considered "untouchable" was that helium brought truthful overmuch wealth successful to the section done probe projects which galore of them considered to beryllium "odd and adjacent questionable".

A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: "The NHS Tayside aesculapian manager and main enforcement met with the furniture caput and section Tayside MSPs successful April to sermon the ongoing concerns of patients of Professor Eljamel.

"It was agreed astatine the gathering that NHS Tayside would enactment with Scottish authorities regarding the adjacent steps to enactment idiosyncratic patients done a process autarkic of some the wellness committee and government.

"NHS Tayside remains committed to bash immoderate is required to enactment the autarkic process recognising it volition beryllium tailored to the circumstances of idiosyncratic patients.

"While we cannot remark connected idiosyncratic patients and their attraction owed to diligent confidentiality, we would invitation Ms Sutherland to interaction NHS Tayside's Patient Liaison Response Team."