A NATIONAL patients' group has called for a public inquiry into the case of a surgeon who failed to give potentially life-saving treatment to 15 bladder cancer sufferers.

Yesterday, it emerged that the hospital trust which employed Ron Rhind for the last four years of his career had previously received six complaints about the consultant's work.

An investigation, launched after colleagues raised concerns about his work, concluded some of his patients may have lived years longer had they received up-to-date treatment.

The 58-year-old, who retired on ill-health grounds in 1999, was a consultant at Shotley Bridge and Dryburn Hospitals, in County Durham, from 1995, and previously at Hartlepool General Hospital, between 1980 and 1995.

Officials have now contacted the families of 15 of Mr Rhind's patients, ten of whom have since died. All the deceased were aged between 65 and 75, and included two from east Durham, four from north Durham and four from Hartlepool.

A further five patients, all from County Durham, are still alive.

An NHS helpline set up after the publication of the report yesterday received about 30 calls from the consultants' former patients.

Officials at the General Medical Council will decide within the next few days whether to ask Mr Rhind before a disciplinary hearing.

However, the National Patients' Association called yesterday for a public inquiry into the affair.

A spokesman said: "The Department of Health should be involved to see how this could have happened and what can be learnt."

It also emerged yesterday that half a dozen complaints had been lodged against Mr Rhind during the last years of his career.

One complaint, which was later dropped, was made to the community health council by the widow of a prostate cancer sufferer, and another four were made directly to the North Durham NHS Trust, although it is not clear whether any were substantiated.

A trust spokesman described the total as "better than average".

In 1999, grandfather-of-four Edward Wilson, 61, of Langley Park, near Durham City, was awarded a reported £10,000 after Mr Rhind operated on the wrong kidney.

No complaints were lodged against Mr Rhind during his 15 years at the newly-named University Hospital of Hartlepool, with either the hospital trust or the community health council.

Hartlepool and South Easington Community Health Council's chief officer, Bill Law, said that procedures at the hospital had changed.

"We are talking about a system that wasn't working as it should be at the time, but it is clearly not like that now," he said.

Labour MP Gerry Steinberg, whose Durham City constituency covers the former Dryburn Hospital, said: "What is needed is better in-service training, because it does appear this doctor had not kept up to date with the latest treatments.

"Clearly Mr Rhind was a good doctor at one time. I'm not sure whether another inquiry would help, but there must be recognition that there were terrible mistakes."

Mr Steinberg added: "As many steps as possible must be taken to make sure this does not happen again.