Every two or three months would get a bit confused and then wake up in hospital, head shaved and in a gown

Mum needed about 10 emergency ops after Eljamel surgery

- VIVIENNE AITKEN

VICTIMS of disgraced brain surgeon Sam Eljamel only found out he had operated on them unsupervised when the NHS wrote to apologise.

The surgeon carried out botched operations on dozens of patients on his own when he was meant to be under "clinical supervision" after concerns were raised with NHS Tayside.

He would go on to operate on 111 patients and was said to have "ruined lives". But some lived unaware of the circumstances surrounding operations that caused them pain and misery until the NHS said sorry.

One victim only found out a few weeks ago 10 years after her brain surgery that he should have been supervised during her operation.

Caroline Duffin, 48, from Perth, had a shunt put in her head to drain fluid in 2013 but after the op she had to have about 10 separate emergency brain surgeries when the tube blocked up.

She thought she'd been unlucky but now, after she received an apology, she believes her operation was botched.

Caroline, a mum of two daughters now 17 and 22, said: "We didn't know why but during the time I had my initial operation he should have been under supervision.

"NHS Tayside clearly knew that and now I think, 'Why did things go wrong so quickly and so often?' I was led to believe I was just unlucky but now I think maybe not so much.

"Why was he even operating when he should've been under supervision?" Caroline complained to NHS Tayside years ago, sensing something was amiss with her original operation.

But she said: "I didn't get anywhere.

They were very dismissive. After I had the new operation in 2016 I thought, I am in good health now so just leave it'.

"The NHS badgered me down for complaining and I thought, 'Where is this getting me? Nowhere, so I let it go.