• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE •
14 September 2025 @ 2000
Eljamel Inquiry Hearing: Patients Welcome Openness but Hearing Exposes Fresh Concerns Over Reviews and University’s Silence
EDINBURGH – The Patients’ Action Group has responded to the first preliminary hearing of the Public Inquiry, welcoming the Inquiry’s transparent approach while highlighting how the session exposed a catastrophic collapse of confidence in the separate Independent Clinical Reviews (ICRs) and raised serious questions over the University of Dundee’s lack of participation.
While the hearing set a positive tone, it provided shocking, on-the-record evidence that the ICR process has failed to win patients’ trust, and revealed other systemic issues that must be addressed.
A spokesperson for the Patients’ Action Group said:
“We want to acknowledge the approach taken by Lord Weir and his team. The commitment to a ‘trauma-informed’ process is a welcome and vital starting point. However, this positive approach is undermined when other processes, which are meant to provide the Inquiry with evidence, are clearly failing.”
Inquiry Widens Scope to Primary Care, Answering Patient Calls
The Patients’ Action Group also praised the Inquiry for confirming its investigation will be wider than just the actions within hospital-based services within NHS Tayside.
The spokesperson added:
“We recently highlighted the need to investigate the role of Primary Care, and we are grateful that the Inquiry has clearly listened. To hear its counsel confirm they will investigate the ‘flow of information from primary care’ and issues involving NHS Fife is a crucial step. It shows a commitment to understanding the entire systemic failure, right across the patient journey and across health board boundaries.”
“Collapse of Confidence” in Flawed Patient Reviews Proven by Delays and Shocking Figures
The hearing provided concrete evidence of the catastrophic failure of the separate Independent Clinical Reviews (ICRs). Despite around 300 patients registering an interest since the process opened in April, the hearing was told that only 96 have been sent initial privacy forms, and of those, only four have been returned.
The spokesperson continued:
“These figures prove the total collapse of confidence in the ICR process, just as we warned. Since registrations opened in April, it is staggering that only 96 patients have even been sent the first piece of paperwork. With the deadline for registrations looming in October, the glacial pace and shockingly low engagement show this process is not fit for purpose. It is a world away from the sensitive, trauma-informed approach the Public Inquiry has committed to, and we are grateful to the Inquiry’s counsel for exposing this disparity. This broken process cannot be allowed to become a weak foundation for the main investigation.”
Fears for NHS Whistleblowers After “Pastoral Support” Offer
A major revelation was that NHS Tayside will not be providing legal representation to its employees, offering only “pastoral support”. The Patients’ Action Group believes this will deter vital witnesses from speaking out.
The spokesperson added:
“For this Public Inquiry to succeed, it needs the full truth from the many good staff within NHS Tayside who saw what was happening. Offering them only ‘pastoral support’ instead of independent legal advice is an insult that leaves potential whistleblowers exposed. They must be given proper legal protection to speak freely.”
Questions Over University of Dundee’s Silence
The hearing also confirmed that the University of Dundee, where Professor Eljamel held a senior academic post and was involved in training, had chosen not to take an “active part” in the proceedings.
The spokesperson said:
“We were stunned to hear that the University of Dundee is not actively participating. Professor Eljamel didn’t just operate; he held a senior position at the University and was responsible for training the next generation of doctors. For the University to remain silent is deeply concerning. We have to ask: what did they know, what were their oversight procedures, and why are they not stepping forward to help the Inquiry get answers?”
Calls for Full Scrutiny of Private Healthcare’s Role
Patients are also demanding the Public Inquiry fully investigates the role of the private healthcare sector, arguing that the current remit, which focuses only on the impact on NHS Tayside, leaves a dangerous gap in scrutiny.
The spokesperson explained:
“There isn’t a firewall between the NHS and private healthcare; for many patients, it was a revolving door, and when things went wrong in private clinics, it was the NHS that was left to pick up the pieces. Private hospitals in Scotland can only operate because they are regulated by NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), a devolved Scottish body. If HIS is responsible for inspecting these facilities, then this Scottish Public Inquiry must have the power to investigate what happened within them. To ignore this is to ignore a huge part of the problem.”
Scottish Government’s “Worrying Detachment” from the Process
Finally, the hearing highlighted a concerning lack of engagement from the Scottish Government on key patient-facing issues, including their failure to attend a crucial meeting to resolve legal funding for harmed patients.
The spokesperson concluded:
“The Scottish Government’s disengagement signals a worrying detachment from the very people this Public Inquiry is supposed to serve. They established this Inquiry; they now have a moral duty to ensure it is properly resourced and that every single patient has a fair opportunity to participate.”
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We believe the only way:
- to achieve transparent, unbiased, and honest answers,
- to have essential learning and enact real change,
- to hold to account those responsible,
- to help and support those patients living with what happened,
- to rebuild public trust in our healthcare organisations to care for us all,
…is by ensuring this is a thorough, fearless, and independent Public Inquiry.
We must get to the truth to safeguard all patients who rely on healthcare in Scotland. We will continue to demand a Public Inquiry that accomplishes these goals. We will not give up.
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Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://eljamelinquiry.org.uk
X / Twitter: @EljamelInquiry
Threads: @EljamelInqOrg
Bluesky: @eljamelinquiry.org.uk
Notes to Editors:
The Patients’ Action Group is a group of former patients of neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel who have suffered significant harm. The group was formed in December 2022 to campaign for a full, independent public inquiry into the systemic failures at NHS Tayside and across Scottish healthcare governance that allowed this harm to occur.