A LONG-AWAITED review of medical regulation, which could pave the way for a safer NHS has been completed, The Northern Echo can reveal.

It means that the onus is now on the Department of Health to come up with a response to a series of medical scandalsm such as the Richard Neale affair.

The Government's chief medical officer, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, told The Northern Echo that his main findings and conclusions were with ministers.

"It is up to them when they decide to publish it, but from my point of view the work is completed, " said Prof Donaldson, who was on a fact-finding tour of the North-East health service.

In February, then Health Minister Jane Kennedy said the Government intended to publish its much-delayed response to the hundreds of recommendations made by the Shipman, Ayling, Kerr-Haslam and Neale inquiries in the spring. At the time, officials suggested that the only thing holding up the process was the separate review of medical regulation by Prof Donaldson.

Yesterday, Prof Donaldson said: "It hasn't held things up too much in that it is the first major review of medical regulation for 30 years and so it has taken time."

He also said the medical culture had changed and medics now accepted it was their duty to speak out about another doctor's unsafe performance.

The 2004 Neale inquiry severely criticised the NHS and General Medical Council (GMC) for ignoring warning signs about the former Northallerton, North Yorkshire, surgeon and failing to protect patients.

Neale was struck off by the GMC in 2000 after he was found guilty of 34 out of 35 allegations of serious professional conduct, including botched operations, lying to patients and altering medical records.

Most allegations were made when Neale worked at the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, between 1985 and 1995. It was only a determined campaign by former patients that led to him being struck off.

The Neale inquiry called for better checks before doctors were recruited and extra supervisory powers.

Graham Maloney, advisor to the victims of Richard Neale support group, said: "There are no more excuses now. The Government should get on with it and put measures in place to protect patients."

Last week, a spokesman for the Department of Health said the response to the inquiries should be published later this year.