SCOTTISH AUDIT OF SURGICAL MORTALITY

The Process

Legal opinion of SASM process

SASM requested an opinion from the Central Legal Office concerning the legal standing of the SASM process and its implications for both participants and assessors. The legal opinion received can be summarised as follows -

1
The basic structure of SASM and its process is legally sound but the audit cycle would be best served if it were seen to be completed by each participant presenting his/her yearly SASM data at an appraisal meeting.
2
The participant him/herself is at liberty to disclose any SASM assessment to any third party, but normally no other third party could gain access to that information without the consent of the participant. The exception to this position would arise if a Trust could provide evidence of poor performance by a SASM participant and a formal investigation was underway with the documented knowledge of the participant. SASM’s duty of care regarding patient safety would oblige SASM to release audit data without the consent of the participant.
3
Assessor anonymity must be respected unless the assessor agrees to waive it. If an assessor were to be named on a SASM document he/she could be drawn into any subsequent legal proceedings relating to the reviewed case as a potential witness.
4
A SASM participant should always have a right of appeal following any SASM assessment. If the appeal cannot be resolved “in house” then the appellant should name three or four experts outside their region in the relevant field. SASM will request a case note review from one of these experts who shall remain anonymous.
5
The SASM Board has a duty of care to protect public safety. If SASM identifies such issues concerning a participant the SASM Board are required to seek further clarification / confirmation. The participant would be informed of these concerns and his/her co-operation would be sought to investigate the matter further. If the participant refused to co-operate or further investigation confirmed the safety concerns, the Board would have no option but to inform an appropriate authority (Trust / GMC).

First Line Assessors


     
Mr Ahmet M Akyol Consultant Surgeon
Dr Louise Aldridge Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Duncan Allen Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Keith Anderson Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Iain Armstrong Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Kenneth Barker Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Philip Bolton Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Alan Boyd Consultant Surgeon
Dr Catherine Brydon Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Hector Campbell Consultant Surgeon
Mr Kenneth L Campbell Consultant Surgeon
Mr Roderick T A Chalmers Consultant Surgeon
Mr Andrew M Chappell Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr David Clough Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr John Crawford Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Michael Crawford Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Trevor Crofts Consultant Surgeon
Mr John Crowther Consultant ENT Surgeon
Mr John De Leeuw Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr James G Docherty Consultant Surgeon
Dr Michael Dockery Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr John Donnelly Consultant Anaesthetist
Ms Helen R Dorrance Consultant Surgeon
Mr Timothy Dougall Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr John L Duncan Consultant Surgeon
Mr James Duncan Consultant Surgeon
Dr George Duthie Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Robert A Duthie Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Paul Edgar Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr David I M Farquharson Consultant Gynaecologist
Mr Patrick Finn Consultant Surgeon
Mr Paul W Fisher Consultant Surgeon
Mr Peter J Fok Consultant Surgeon
Mr Ioannis Fouyas Consultant Neurosurgeon
Mr Grant Fullarton Consultant Surgeon
Mr Paul Gaston Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr David Gibson Consultant Gynaecologist
Mr Alistair J R Gray Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Craig A Grice Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Gareth D Griffiths Consultant Surgeon
Dr Pandeshwar Gururaj Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Graham Haddock Consultant Paediatric Surgeon
Mr Maher M E Hadidi Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Richard Halpin Consultant Surgeon
Dr Kevin Hanretty Consultant Gynaecologist
Dr Robert J S Hawthorn Consultant Gynaecologist
Mr Richard J Holdsworth Consultant Surgeon
Mr John D Holmes Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Mr Mohammad Hosny Consultant Surgeon
Dr Andrew Hothersall Consultant Anaesthetist
Ms Alison Howd Consultant Surgeon
Mr Syed Hussain Consultant ENT Surgeon
Dr Ruth Jackson Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Hasan Kasem Consultant Surgeon
Mr Slawomir G Kata Consultant Urologist
Mr Peter M King Consultant Surgeon
Mr Andrew Kinninmonth Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Andreas Kopka Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Philip Korsah Consultant Anaesthetist
Mrs Alison K Lannigan Consultant Surgeon
Mr Kenneth W Lindsay Consultant Neurosurgeon
Mr David Lyth Consultant Urologist
Mr Angus MacDonald Consultant Surgeon
Mr Colin MacKay Consultant Surgeon
Dr Andrew Makin Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr John R McGregor Consultant Surgeon
Mr Robert MCINTYRE Consultant Surgeon
Mr Alan J McKay Consultant Surgeon
Mr Colin J McKay Consultant Surgeon
Dr Kenneth McKinlay Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Michael J McKirdy Consultant Surgeon
Mr Ian P McLean Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Gordon McLeod Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Joseph McManners Consultant Oral/Maxillofacial
Mr Robert N Meddings Consultant Urologist
Dr Colin Miller Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Leslie E F Moffat Consultant Urologist
Mr John  J Morrice Consultant Surgeon
Mr David Mowle Consultant Neurosurgeon
Mr Iain M Muir Consultant Surgeon
Mr Fraser Donald Munro Consultant Paediatric Surgeon
Mr Dermot S Murphy Consultant Surgeon
Mr Manhal G G Nassif Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Shona Neal Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr John Stephen Noble Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr James T Patton Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Ian R Pickford Consultant Surgeon
Dr J Louie Plenderleith Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Susan Rae Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr John B Rainey Consultant Surgeon
Dr Peter Randalls Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr David Ray Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr John Reidy Consultant Surgeon
Dr Karen Reynolds Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Peter Rickhuss Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Kevin W Robertson Consultant Surgeon
Dr Michael Robson Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Paul N Rogers Consultant Surgeon
Dr Stuart T D Roxburgh Consultant Ophthalmologist
Dr Martin Ruth Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Lech A Rymaszewski Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Roy N Scott Consultant Surgeon
Dr Alison Simpson Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Christopher Simpson Consultant Surgeon
Dr Robert Simpson Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Brian R Singer Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Angus Smith Consultant Surgeon
Dr Drew Smith Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr David M Smith Consultant Surgeon
Mr Michael F Smith Consultant Urologist
Mr Douglas W Somerville Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr David Soutar Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Dr Elizabeth Steel Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Gordon Stewart Consultant Surgeon
Dr Neil Storey Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Shiona Stott Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Alasdair Sutherland Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Adrian Tully Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Mark A Underwood Consultant Urologist
Dr Douglas A Walker Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr James D Watson Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Dr Cameron Weir Consultant Anaesthetist
Professor Ian Whittle Consultant Neurosurgeon
Mr Barry W A Williamson Consultant Surgeon
Mr Colin Wilson Consultant Surgeon
Mr Christopher R Wilson Consultant Surgeon
Dr Edward Wilson Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Timothy Winning Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Andrew Woods Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Mark Worsley Consultant Anaesthetist
Mr Kenneth Young Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Steven Young Consultant Anaesthetist
Professor George G Youngson Consultant Paediatric Surgeon

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