A public inquiry set up to investigate disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel will hold a preliminary hearing next month.
The Eljamel Inquiry will investigate the activities and oversight of Mr Eljamel, who was appointed by NHS Tayside as a consultant neurosurgeon at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee in 1995 and went on to become head of neurosurgery at the site.
In 2013, Mr Eljamel was placed under supervision and later suspended following concerns about the standard of clinical care he was providing to patients.
He resigned from NHS Tayside in 2014.
Patients of the former neurosurgeon have claimed he harmed as many as 200 people, with some suffering life-changing injuries.
The Eljamel Inquiry will determine, among other things, whether patients were let down by failures in clinical governance, risk management, and complaints procedures, and the adequacy of previous reviews.
It will also examine to what extent Mr Eljamel’s private practice, research, and workload impacted on care received by his patients, and whether, and if so to what extent, Mr Eljamel and NHS Tayside tried to conceal evidence of sub-standard care.
The independent public inquiry, chaired by Lord Weir, will hold a preliminary hearing in Edinburgh on September 10 to set out its progress and intentions.
Scotland’s Health Secretary Neil Gray formally set up the inquiry on April 3, empowering it to begin the process of gathering evidence.
To date, Lord Weir has designated applicants including NHS Tayside, 133 former patients of Mr Eljamel and 19 personal representatives of former patients. This group is represented by the legal firm Levy & McRae.
The Scottish Government and the University of Dundee are also designated as core participants, as are the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh), Healthcare Improvement Scotland, and NHS Education for Scotland.
Members of the public, including former patients, can apply to attend the preliminary hearing in person.
Proceedings will also be broadcast live on the inquiry’s YouTube channel, and will be available to view later on its website.
The preliminary hearing will take place at Waverley Gate in central Edinburgh.
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “We are actively participating in the Eljamel Inquiry.”
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