SEVEN years after victims of disgraced surgeon Richard Neale began their campaign for justice, the full details of the scandal have been revealed for the first time.

The long-awaited report of the independent inquiry into the Richard Neale affair, published last week, has exposed a catalogue of errors and misjudgements by senior NHS officials in North Yorkshire.

The failure of managers, doctors and health authority officials - and the General Medical Council - to protect patients is spelled out in detail over 376 pages.

Because of a series of blunders, the consultant gynaecologist - who had already been struck off in Canada - was unleashed on patients from the North-East and North Yorkshire.

The report describes how Neale was able to obtain his appointment as a consultant at the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, and continue to hold it despite growing public unease.

It shows how some senior health figures in the region chose to ignore mounting evidence of Neale's unsuitability and to stand by him.

And for the first time, the report uncovers the notorious reference given to Neale by the Friarage board as part of desperate efforts to unload the surgeon on to another NHS trust.

The Neale inquiry was launched in 2001 at the same time as another independent investigation into Kent GP Gerald Ayling.

While Neale was struck off the medical register in 2000, Ayling was jailed for four years in 2000 after being convicted of 13 counts of indecent assault on patients. The simultaneous publication of both reports make a series of recommendations to ensure more women do not suffer because health officials fail to recognise problems in the conduct of their doctors.

The reports urge better handling and recording of complaints at an early stage before women are seriously abused or harmed.

The report into Neale calls for better checks before doctors are recruited, to spot concerns from past employment.

The inquiry, chaired by Judge Suzan Matthews, calls for a new body, or expansion of the powers of an existing body, to oversee the employment of doctors.

Neale got the job at Friarage Hospital despite being struck off in Canada in 1985 following an investigation into the deaths of two patients.

He was also employed in Leicester and at London's exclusive Portland Hospital.

The Neale inquiry panel says that employers should make rigorous checks on doctors being employed from overseas as well as from other employers in this country. They say Neale was not subject to adequate checks on his clinical ability by his peers.

Their report also says that the actions taken by Yorkshire Regional Health Authority once it became aware of the situation in Canada were 'inadequate.'

The report says: "His consequent appointment as clinical director to the Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust was inappropriate. His attitude to some patients and some colleagues was arrogant, dismissive and overbearing; it stifled complaints by patients and criticisms by colleagues alike."

The report criticises the complaints procedure which delayed action being taken against Neale.

"This lack of structure meant that the overall picture of complaints was unclear and monitoring of complaints imprecise and ineffective."

Solicitor Tim Annett, who represents 30 Neale victims, said: "The comprehensive report details a number of systemic failings, both within the NHS and other bodies such as the GMC, specifically in relation to issues of employment and complaints procedure. The inquiry has found that those responsible for operating the system were not operating it as effectively as they should have been in order to guarantee patient confidence and safety."

Sheila Wright-Hogeland, founder of the Neale victims support group, said: "It is thorough but the report does not go far enough for me.

"They have criticised Neale and the local health service but what they haven't done is dig any deeper."

The Friarage is now part of the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust. Its chief executive, Simon Pleydell, said: "The measures we have taken should reassure people we have systems in place to protect and enhance the quality of care we provide to our patients."

Read more about the Richard Neale scandal here.