NHS Tayside apologises as public inquiry into disgraced neurosurgeon begins

NHS Tayside has apologised for adding to patients' trauma as a public inquiry opened into the conduct of former Ninewells Hospital neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel, who harmed dozens of patients while head of the department in Dundee.

The inquiry, which began with a preliminary hearing in Edinburgh on Wednesday, will examine Eljamel's appointments between 1995 and 2014 and how the health board responded when concerns were raised about his practice. It will also consider whether Eljamel or NHS Tayside concealed information about his professional conduct and whether the systems in place were sufficient to protect patients.

Dr James Cotton, executive medical director of NHS Tayside, said the board recognised the importance of the inquiry to affected families and acknowledged the length of time it had taken to reach the public hearing stage. "We know that many people have experienced considerable distress as patients of Mr Eljamel and we understand that in many cases we have added to that trauma in the way that we have handled ongoing complaints and concerns. We are sincerely sorry for this," he said.

Dr Cotton said NHS Tayside had published a Due Diligence Review into Eljamel in 2023 and had committed to making improvements where failings were identified. He added that the clinical and professional governance processes in place today were "demonstrably different" from those operating more than a decade ago, and said the board would cooperate openly with the inquiry and be accountable for past decisions and actions.

Former patients have welcomed the start of the public hearings. Alan Ogilvie, operated on by Eljamel in 1995 and now a spokesperson for the Patients Action Group (PAG), said the hearing represented a "significant, if profoundly delayed, milestone" for the dozens of patients who have campaigned for years for a public inquiry. PAG has called for robust scrutiny of what it says were systemic failures that left some patients with life-changing injuries.

Lord Weir, the inquiry chairman, has said he intends to seek evidence from UK-wide regulatory bodies including the General Medical Council and the Health and Safety Executive. PAG has expressed concern, however, about the inquiry's legal terms of reference, which the group says prevent the panel from making binding recommendations about those organisations.

The inquiry will determine whether patients were let down by failures in clinical governance, risk management and complaints procedures and will examine the extent to which Eljamel's private practice, research activities and workload affected care delivered within NHS Tayside. While the inquiry can make recommendations aimed at improving practice and protecting NHS patients in the future, it cannot impose binding changes on separate regulatory bodies.

Eljamel was suspended from Ninewells Hospital in December 2013. The inquiry will review appointments and practice across a nearly 20-year period, reflecting the timeline of reported incidents and complaints.

A Scottish government spokesperson called the opening of the inquiry a "significant milestone" and said ministers were "fully committed to engaging constructively with the process and value the progress made by Lord Weir and his team." The public hearings mark a new stage in a long-running campaign by former patients and advocacy groups seeking accountability and lessons to prevent recurrence.

The inquiry is expected to scrutinise internal board records, clinical governance arrangements and complaint handling at NHS Tayside, and to hear testimony from patients, clinicians and regulatory representatives. Its findings may lead to recommendations for policy, practice and oversight aimed at improving patient safety across the NHS in Scotland.