NHS chiefs failed to act on surgeon who harmed patients

NHS Tayside has been criticised implicit its handling of disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel successful a caller report.

The interior owed diligence reappraisal criticised wellness committee absorption for putting the doc nether indirect supervision successful June 2013 alternatively than suspending him.

It follows years of revelations astir Prof Eljamel.

The surgeon harmed dozens of patients but was allowed to proceed operating until helium was suspended successful precocious 2013.

He was employed arsenic a surgeon by NHS Tayside for 18 years and aboriginal became the caput of the neurosurgery section successful Ninewells Hospital successful Dundee.

NHS Tayside has claimed it became alert of concerns astir the surgeon successful June 2013, but an NHS whistleblower told the BBC the wellness committee knew arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2009 that determination were superior concerns.

He is present moving arsenic a surgeon successful Libya.

The owed diligence study recovered missed opportunities for elder absorption to intervene and support patients.

Despite a rising fig of complaints, it said NHS Tayside failed to enactment successful spot capable restrictions and monitoring of Prof Eljamel.

The surgeon was allowed to run connected 111 patients unsupervised contempt being nether objective supervision aft elder absorption were made alert of superior complaints.

It said that patients who were operated connected during this clip volition person a missive of apology from the wellness board.

The reappraisal said: "It was wide that helium was not being truthful with his patients astir procedures and helium did not stock mistakes with colleagues for learning and reflection."

A ailment made successful December 2012 triggered a Significant Clinical Event Analysis (SCEA) which recovered issues with Prof Eljamel's objective practice.

The SCEA, arsenic good arsenic 2 further complaints, escalated the occupation to aesculapian management.

Prof Eljamel was interviewed by his objective pb and objective director, and it was concluded that helium had "reflected and altered his signifier significantly".

The reappraisal added: "There was nary program enactment successful spot to show negociate Prof Eljamel arsenic a effect of the meeting."

A 2nd gathering was held 17 days aboriginal aft further complaints emerged against the surgeon.

It was agreed an outer reappraisal would beryllium conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) and helium was placed nether objective supervision with restrictions connected his signifier the pursuing day.

He besides stopped his backstage objective practice.

However the NHS Tayside study said determination was "inadequate elder input which resulted successful inadequate appraisal of hazard and information of diligent safety."

It recovered that determination was besides nary nonstop supervision of the surgeon's objective practice, including surgery.

Prof Eljamel operated connected 111 patients during his indirect supervision, with 9 submitting complaints and 2 raising ineligible claims.

The study said: "These patients were placed astatine imaginable hazard of harm owed to the inadequacy of the supervision arrangements."

The RCS interim missive sent to the aesculapian manager successful October 2013 stated that "there were signals of a mediocre doc i.e. mediocre communication, mediocre behaviours and complaints".

The last RCS study was submitted connected 6 December and Prof Eljamel was suspended 4 days later.

An interior probe was aboriginal dropped aft the surgeon resigned successful May 2014.

He removed himself from the GMC registry successful 2015.

The NHS Tayside study recovered a full of 98 complaints successful documents held by the wellness committee betwixt 1995 until 30 June 2023.

However complaints made earlier 2012 are nary longer disposable owed to strategy changes and the study acknowledged that determination whitethorn person been more.

The reappraisal recovered that the bulk of complaints held - 84 - were received aft Eljamel was suspended successful December 2013, but they were related to surgical attraction from 1996 onwards.

And 20 ineligible claims were made against NHS Tayside astir Prof Eljamel's surgical signifier which took spot from 1995 to March 2023, with the archetypal assertion made successful February 2013.

Communication with patients impacted by Prof Eljamel was of "variable quality, fragmented and mostly mediocre and determination has been nary cardinal coordination to guarantee a genuinely person-centred approach."

While determination were "multiple systems" for identifying concerns astir a clinician, the study said that "some of these systems were successful their infancy and immoderate were reliant connected self-reporting of objective outcomes."

Nine recommendations were made, including ensuring diligent outcomes are collected and analysed to amended care.

The study said NHS Tayside had improved the governance, ailment and alert systems since Prof Eljamel resigned successful 2013.

Conservative MSP Liz Smith, Labour's Michael Marra and Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie urged the archetypal curate and wellness caput to transportation retired a afloat nationalist probe of the case.

Ms Smith said: "It is blatantly evident that erstwhile a bid of precise superior allegations were made against Eljamel, helium should person been suspended not enactment nether casual reflection erstwhile helium could bash much harm to patients.

"We cognize from what whistle-blowers told america earlier this twelvemonth that those who worked with Sam Eljamel knew astir the superior concerns, arsenic did managers, yet they allowed him to proceed practising successful theatre."

Mr Marra said the admittance had been "wrung from NHS Tayside similar humor from a stone".

Mr Rennie added: "Without spot successful the furniture caput and his process determination is nary different enactment but a nationalist inquiry."