Eljamel: Rogue surgeon 'undertook unnecessary operation'

Disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel performed an unnecessary spinal operation after "seriously misinterpreting" an MRI scan, a public inquiry has been told.

The inquiry was told Eljamel carried out almost 500 private procedures between 2002 and 2013 at Dundee's Fernbrae Hospital, in addition to his NHS work.

Eljamel, who is believed to have harmed hundreds of patients, was a consultant NHS neurosurgeon at Ninewells Hospital from 1995 until his suspension in 2013.

The inquiry was told eight of his private patients had raised concerns about Eljamel in the four years following his suspension.

A subsequent independent review of one of the cases from 2010 concluded there was a strong case that Eljamel had "seriously misinterpreted an MRI scan and subsequently undertook an unnecessary operation".

It said Eljamel's interpretation of the scan differed significantly from other colleagues, including a second-opinion neurosurgeon.

The review report indicated that this raised the question as to "whether or not Prof SE (Sam Eljamel) has the clinical competence to work as an unsupervised consultant in this area of practice".

The inquiry was also shown Eljamel's resignation letter to Fernbrae Hospital's chief executive in December 2013, following his suspension from NHS Tayside.

It read: "I am sorry that it had (sic) gone that far and I will keep you posted if I hear anything else."

The inquiry heard that Fernbrae Hospital closed in 2019, the year before its operators BMI Healthcare were acquired by Circle Health Group.

The inquiry heard evidence from Peter James, chief medical officer of Circle Health Group, which had no involvement with the running of Fernbrae, but had inherited legal responsibility for BMI Healthcare.

The inquiry was shown documents and records which Circle Health Group had retrieved from searches relating to BMI Healthcare at the time Eljamel practiced there.

It was told the hospital had 14 beds, one operating theatre, but no high-dependency or intensive care units.

James said that because of this, complex neurosurgical procedures would generally be unsuitable for the hospital.

The inquiry heard that all patients during the time period in question were either self-funded or funded by private medical insurance.

James told the inquiry that Eljamel had carried out 483 procedures over the course of his 11 years of private practice at Fernbrae, including 138 posterior disc prolapses, more commonly known as a slipped disc.

The inquiry was told that Eljamel would have carried out an average of one clinic and one procedure per week at Fernbrae.

James said this was a "relatively modest" amount for private practice work over that time period.

He added that most of the procedures were "low to medium complexity spinal procedures."

Jamie Dawson KC, the inquiry's chief counsel, said that as there was only one other consultant, who carried out very few procedures, and that Eljamel "really was the neurological service" at Fernbrae, to which he agreed.

The inquiry was told that the first complaint relating to Eljamel's work at Fernbrae was received by BMI Healthcare in April 2014 via the General Medical Council.

BMI records indicated it had not received any prior concerns or complaints about Eljamel while he was practicing at Fernbrae.

The inquiry was told that no evidence that NHS Tayside shared any concerns with Fernbrae about Eljamel prior to his suspension had been found during Circle Health's search for elevant documents.

Following his suspension, Eljamel resigned from his post in May 2014 and removed himself from the General Medical Register in 2015.

He is now believed to be working as a surgeon in Libya.

Numerous attempts by the public inquiry to contact him have been unsuccessful.

The inquiry before Lord Weir continues.