Inquiry into rogue surgeon Sam Eljamel to hear opening statements

A public inquiry into disgraced neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel is to hear from core participants as they make opening statements.

Eljamel was head of neurosurgery at Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital from 1995 until his suspension in December 2013, during which time he is thought to have harmed dozens of patients and left some with life-changing injuries.

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

The Eljamel Inquiry into his professional practice was announced by the Scottish Government in September 2023 and its terms of reference were set out by Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray earlier this year.

Its remit includes how concerns about Eljamel were responded to by his employer NHS Tayside and whether the systems in place to protect patients were adequate.

Jamie Dawson KC, senior counsel to the inquiry, and Joanna Cherry KC, for the patient group, will make opening statements at a hearing in Edinburgh on Wednesday, as will Una Doherty KC for NHS Tayside and Laura Thomson KC for Scottish ministers.

On Thursday, the inquiry will hear statements on behalf of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, NHS Education for Scotland and the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh).

The inquiry will also hear a submission on behalf of the Independent Clinical Review (ICR), which is not a core participant.

On Wednesday, Mr Dawson will also provide detail about plans for future hearings for the inquiry, as it moves closer to the start of its evidential hearings in 2026.

Section one, the first block of hearings, will examine the background to the inquiry’s terms of reference including the roles of key bodies, individuals, policies and practices relevant to matters being looked at by the probe.

It will look at areas including the broad trajectory of Eljamel’s career in Scotland, the types of work he undertook and the systems surrounding his NHS practice.

It will also examine the circumstances surrounding his appointment to the role of consultant neurosurgeon at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee in 1995, and other key roles and the complaints and feedback systems in place at NHS Tayside.