Significant step towards establishing Public Inquiry.
Health Secretary has appointed chairs for the
Public Inquiry and Independent Clinical Reviews into the actions
of Sam Eljamel, and how the circumstances were handled by NHS
Tayside.
The Honourable Lord Weir, a serving judge of the Supreme Courts
in Scotland and former sheriff on the All Scotland Sheriff
Personal Injury Court will chair the Public Inquiry.
Professor Stephen Wigmore, Regius Chair of Clinical Surgery and
Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Edinburgh,
will chair the Independent Clinical Reviews for patients who wish
to take part. To ensure the Chair is able to draw on expertise in
Mr Eljamel’s area of practice, he will be supported by a number
of expert neurosurgeons.
Mr Eljamel was employed by NHS Tayside from 1995 to 2014, and
concerns about his practice were first raised to NHS Tayside in
2011. He was suspended in 2013 after several complaints and a
review by the Royal College of Surgeons in England.
The Health Secretary will meet with Lord Weir to discuss a
planned meeting with patients in the coming weeks, so that Terms
of Reference can be agreed for the inquiry. A plan will also be
drawn up and published which sets out the processes and a
delivery timeframe for establishing an inquiry team. The
Independent Clinical Reviews will start in April.
Mr Gray said:
“I have met with Mr Eljamel’s former patients, including some
outside Parliament last week, and understand the strength of
their feelings and the importance of progressing these
investigations as quickly as possible.
“Mr Eljamel’s former patients have the right to answers and we
must learn from their experiences to try and ensure this does not
happen again. The people of Scotland must have confidence in our
National Health Service and I plan for the Public Inquiry and
Independent Clinical Reviews to help restore any lost trust.
“Our approach of establishing independent clinical reviews to run
alongside the Public Inquiry will give patients the option of
having a personalised review of their care – something that would
not have been possible within the remit of the Public Inquiry.”
Background
The Hon. Lord Weir (Robert Weir)
A graduate of Durham and Dundee universities, he became an
advocate in 1995. He built up a civil practice and served as an
advocate depute from 2005 – 2008, before being appointed Queen’s
Counsel in 2010. Lord Weir was appointed as a judge of the
Supreme Courts in April 2020, having sat as a temporary judge of
the Court of Session from 2017.
Lord Weir
(judiciary.scot)
Professor Stephen Wigmore
Professor Wigmore works in Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgical
Services and the Edinburgh Transplant Unit at the Royal Infirmary
of Edinburgh.
Professor Stephen J
Wigmore | The University of Edinburgh
