A TOP Scots brain surgeon harm­ed more than 50 patients and lied about doing operations, a telly probe claims.

Professor Sam Eljamel, the ex-head of Neurosurgery at NHS Tayside, left people in agony by cutting them open but doing nothing, it’s alleged.

5 Professor Sam Eljamel harmed patients but was allowed to carry on working

The medic, who also performed spinal surgery, is even said to have ope­rated on incorrect areas.

But he continued to work even as NHS Tayside investigated and put him under supervision.

A BBC Scotland Disclosure investigation revealed the fresh evidence patients had been harmed during brain and spinal surgery.

And operations which patients had been told had taken place HADN'T actually been done.

The BBC team asked Professor Eljamel's patients to access their medical records and shared their scans and notes with expert neurosurgeon Donald Campbell.

In one case he found the surgeon had over-stated a spinal operation’s chances of success. In two others, he believes the surgery wasn’t done at all.

He said: “Well that was negligent. There's no other description. It's completely unacceptable. It’s dishonest.”

In relation to one patient, Patrick Kelly, from Dundee, who had spinal surgery under Professor Eljamel in 2007, he says: “As far as I can see, he’s never actually removed any bone or disc. He’s opened the patient, and then come out again. I can’t think of any explanation why that should be done.

5 Patient Patrick Kelly is now suing NHS Tayside

“To claim that you have done an operation in this critical area, and then not to do it, knowing that the result of approaching the area and not operating on it, will be to leave such scar tissue that no one else is going to operate on it.

"It shows a complete lack of any consideration for the patient.”

Patrick Kelly – who is currently suing NHS Tayside – says he’s been left in constant pain. But Mr Campbell says that any further surgery would be too risky.

The programme also reveals that Professor Eljamel wasn’t carrying out spinal surgery in the correct way, which led to some patients having operations on the wrong part of the spine.

An internal report reveals he also taught his junior surgeons to operate in this way, and that they too harmed patients.

In one case, the BBC has discovered a junior surgeon carried out spinal surgery at the “incorrect spinal level” while “under instruction” from Professor Eljamel.

5 Mr Eljamel was the ex-head of Neurosurgery at NHS Tayside Credit: Handout

Documents say the junior surgeon “raised concern” about the spinal level, but Professor Eljamel advised him that the “site was correct” and told him to carry on with the operation.

The case took place in 2010 – three years before Professor Eljamel was suspended.

Bosses at NHS Tayside told the Disclosure team it first became aware of concerns in June 2013 and that they took “immediate action” and placed Professor Eljamel “under supervision” while they reviewed his work.

They also called in the Royal College of Surgeons of England to investigate Professor Eljamel.

But it was found that even at the point the surgeon was under supervision, he was STILL able to harm patients.

Marathon runner Jules Rose - diagnosed with a brain tumour - tells the programme that she was operated on by Professor Eljamel in August 2013, a month after he was placed under supervision due to serious concerns about his work.

She says she was initially told the operation had been a success but then discovered the surgeon hadn’t removed her tumour at all - instead he had removed her entire tear gland.

5 Jules was unaware of the doctor's supervision

It meant she had to have a second risky operation under Professor Eljamel.

At no point, she says, was she ever told that the surgeon was under supervision or there were concerns about him.

She said: "It’s atrocious. For NHS Tayside to allow this surgeon, who had blatantly made a mistake the first time, to allow him to perform another complex operation is unthinkable. It’s not acceptable.”

NHS Tayside told the BBC it acted “immediately” to suspend Professor Eljamel after it received the results of the Royal College of Surgeons’ review of his work.

But Disclosure revealed that’s not true. The Royal College told the programme it sent the report to NHS Tayside on December 6 2013 – a full three days before Jules Rose’s operation.

Professor Eljamel was only suspended the day after, on December 10, and he was referred to the General Medical Council.

Neurosurgeon Donald Campbell tells the programme: “If the health board had come to the conclusion that they were going to suspend him, I would have expected that that would have been immediate.

"There must have been someone who knew he was to be suspended the day before that operating list, and he should not have been allowed to do it.”

5 Neurosurgeon Donald Campbel

Despite being under investigation and facing complaints from at least 55 patients, Professor Eljamel resigned from NHS Tayside.

In August 2015, ahead of a fitness to practice hearing, he was allowed to voluntarily remove himself from the UK Medical Register.

It meant that all complaints against him were dropped.

The BBC also showed some patients’ cases to Brian McConnachie QC, the former head of high court prosecutions at the Crown Office.

He tells the programme: “Of the ones I have seen, there are, I think, three of them where there would be an arguable case for culpable and reckless conduct.”

“From the time NHS Tayside became aware of the fact there were significant complaints about Mr Eljamel’s work, there could be an argument to say that they become responsible as well."

David Vile, who had spinal surgery under Professor Eljamel, in 2009, says: “This man needs to come to an inquiry, and answer the questions that are put to him. Because at the moment, he has said nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Jules Rose told the programme: “He needs to be held to account for what he’s done. And NHS Tayside. Because they’ve allowed this as well.”

Patrick Kelly adds: “We need questions asked in the Scottish Parliament. We need to waken up and make sure that this never, ever happens again.”

NHS Tayside told the programme it had “listened” to patient’s concerns and “taken appropriate action” to support them.

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It said there has been “much learning by the organisation” and “many improvements” made and that the board “complies with all national standards relating to spinal surgery”.

Professor Eljamel’s lawyer told BBC Scotland his client had “no comment to make”.

Harmed By My Surgeon will air on Monday 3 September on BBC One Scotland at 7.30pm.

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