Surgeon to the Queen suspended af ter NHS conduct investigation
THE Queen’s personal surgeon has been suspended from his work at a Scottish hospital following a conduct probe. Professor Zygmunt Krukowski is responsible for the team of medics which cares for members of the Royal Family if they are admitted to hospital while staying at Balmoral Castle.
It is believed that the surgeon and one of his colleagues have been suspended from their duties at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after raising concerns following Dignity at Work reviews.
A source from the hospital told a local newspaper that the pair were seen as troublemakers by bosses and would be left ‘devastated and angry’ at the decision to suspend them.
The Dignity at Work policy sets out conditions to ensure effective working practice as well as fair and consistent treatment for all workers at NHS Grampian.
The source said the suspended surgeons felt that their efforts to raise their own concerns over dignity at work had been stifled. Speaking to a local newspaper, he added: ‘They have been professionally destroyed – this is absolutely revenge for raising concerns. There has to be a judge-led inquiry into the conduct and governance of NHS Grampian – nothing else would get to the heart of it.’
Professor Krukowski, 67, has extensive experience of surgery and has trained postgraduate students in countries all over the world, including India, France and Oman.
He is also involved in undergraduate teaching in the city, but Aberdeen University yesterday revealed that he could not cont i nue with t his r ole while suspended.
A university spokesman said: ‘Professor Krukowski’s teaching activity takes place in the clinical hospital environment and therefore will not now continue.’
Professor Krukowski previously voiced concerns over Grampian’s share of national funding and warned that under-funding had a cumulative effect on services over several decades.
NHS Grampian has now cancelled and rescheduled operations and medical procedures at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Yesterday one concerned woman, who did not want to be named, said her f ather was due to undergo potentially lifesaving treatment to remove a growth from his thyroid today.
She said: ‘My mum was told the operation had been postponed.
‘Nobody has been in contact to offer an apology or reassurance or tell us when it’s been rescheduled for. It’s absolutely horrendous.
‘My dad came off other medication so he could have the operation. The surgery took weeks to organise and the theatre was going to be used for the whole day.
‘The cancer has advanced into the lymph nodes in his neck. My dad could live a long time – if they get it all out. He needs to have this done as soon as possible.’
Professor Krukowski specialises in keyhole surgery. NHS Grampian said staff were trying to get cancelled medical procedures rescheduled as soon as possible.
A health board spokesman said: ‘We would like to apologise to any patients affected by this issue. We have been and will continue to be i n contact with affected patients.
‘We are proactively making alternative clinical arrangements and will ensure that we reschedule postponed procedures as soon as we possibly can.
‘This will be on the basis of clinical need so that the most urgent patients are prioritised, but every patient is important and we will ensure that alternative arrangements are communicated directly to patients very soon.’
No details were available yesterday on how many operations had been affected.
NHS Grampian refused to explain why the surgeons had been suspended and said the health board had a policy not to discuss members of staff.
The spokesman added: ‘ NHS Grampian is committed to taking positive action to protect the values of NHS Grampian and NHS Scotland and dealing robustly with any behaviour that is not consistent with these values.’
‘Operation has been postponed’