A DISGRACED surgeon who was at the centre of the Bristol baby heart scandal, is practising in the North-East, it has been revealed.

Yesterday, it emerged that during the past 12 months, Janardan Dhasmana has been carrying out supervised operations on cardiac patients at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle. The details surfaced at a meeting of the General Medical Council's professional conduct committee, where Mr Dhasmana is asking to be allowed to operate on adults unsupervised.

He is so desperate to retrain as a heart surgeon that he has been working unpaid and making the 600-mile round trip from his Bristol home to Tyneside every week.

After the Bristol Royal Infirmary baby scandal - when 29 children died following heart surgery - Mr Dhasmana was found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the GMC in 1998 and banned from operating on children for three years.

Following a review of his case last year, he was also banned from operating on adults without supervision.

When Mr Dhasmana, 60, was asked whether he had any wish to perform operations on children, he replied: "No. Not at all".

Astrid Adams, chief officer of Newcastle Community Health Council, said: "We were unaware that he is working at the Freeman. Our only concern would be for the safety of patients and whether they gave their informed consent before surgery."

A spokesman for the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust said: "Mr Dhasmana has had a structured reassessment of his skills and ability under very strict control and supervision. In this respect Mr Dhasmana has demonstrated he was an able and competent cardiothoracic surgeon."

The conduct committee hearing continues.