THE chairwoman of the inquiry into disgraced consultant Richard Neale has criticised former patients who are boycotting the hearings.

Suzan Matthews QC said it was a "shame" some patients had decided not to come to a preliminary inquiry meeting in York last week and were talking of a boycott.

She said a number of issues of vital importance to patients had been explored, and information given out.

If patients were planning a boycott because they believed the inquiry would not do a thorough job, they could not be more wrong.

"We must put calls for a public inquiry behind us now," said Mrs Matthews. "That option has been closed by the High Court who rejected that type of hearing. We are determined to get to the heart of the matter and improve the way the complaints system in the NHS works to help all patients in the future."

The inquiry was ordered last year by Health Secretary Alan Milburn into the way the NHS handled complaints about Mr Neale, who worked at Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, until 1995, and was struck off in 2000 for botching a series of operations.

About 30 former patients and supporters, who still want a public inquiry, demonstrated outside the hospital last week, at the same time as the meetings in York. They claimed the proposed inquiry would be a whitewash.

But Mrs Matthews said some potential witnesses had spoken of their concern about confidential details of their care and treatment going into the public domain, and felt more secure in the knowledge their evidence would not be given in public.

Further meetings for patients and other potential witnesses were planned in January in the Northallerton area, and there was still ample opportunity for people to come forward, by phoning 0207 972 2400.

Graham Maloney, adviser to a large group of patients who are planning the boycott, said today that Mrs Matthews was wrong if she thought the battle for a public inquiry was over.

"This was a political decision and we will be writing to 300 to 400 MPs in the New Year to see if they will support our calls for a public inquiry," he said.

He also insisted that the scope of the inquiry was not thorough enough. For example, it would not look into the GMC's role in what had been a scandalous situation.

Updated: 09:56 Thursday, December 12, 2002