Inquiry chief's plea for more witnesses
20/12/2002

The chairman of the independent inquiry into the Richard Neale scandal has made a third appeal for witnesses to come forward.

The plea follows an informal meeting in York earlier this month.

Because the inquiry is being boycotted by many former patients, it is believed that the numbers of potential witnesses who have come forward is relatively small.

The action group set up by ex-patients of the disgraced former Friarage Hospital gynaecologist has recommended that its 257 members do not take part because they believe a full public inquiry is needed.

Inquiry chairman Suzan Matthews said: "We believe there are other people still to come forward, who would help us in our task and so we have decided to set up another set of informal meetings in Yorkshire in mid January."

"We had very useful meetings in York earlier this month at which we met patients and NHS staff and others and we were able to reassure the patients in particular that our inquiry will be robust and comprehensive," the chairman added.

"All the three panel members are determined to undertake a thorough investigation of how complaints by patients and others into Richard Neale's performance were treated by NHS bodies."

Graham Maloney, advisor to the Action Group, claimed the inquiry team were "panicking" because of the scale of the boycott by former victims of Mr Neale.

"The inquiry has no credibility whatsoever in their eyes," said Mr Maloney. The group argues that only a public inquiry can get to the bottom of the Neale scandal.

They say senior figures from the General Medical Council and the NHS should be called to account for allowing a surgeon who was struck off in Canada to injure scores of British patients before he was stopped.

Anyone who would like to attend is asked to ring the inquiry office on 0207 972 2400.