Almost forty North Yorkshire women treated by a former Northallerton gynaecologist have welcomed an official investigation into his work.

Former patients Carole Millward and Sheila Wright-Hogeland, who have formed a support group

The former patients of Richard Neale also welcomed a separate study by the BBC's Panorama programme which claimed that, despite four reports of concern to the General Medical Council, the monitoring body failed to take action.

Dr Neale came to work as a senior consultant at Northallerton's Friarage Hospital in 1985 after being struck off by the Canadian authorities following the death of a patient in the early 1980s.

After being told about his background, an investigation was held by the Yorkshire Regional Health Authority, which concluded that the Canadian disciplinary hearing had been "unnecessarily rigorous".

Now the GMC has launched an investigation, but the Yorkshire women are furious that they did not know about his background before going into the operating theatre.

Former patient Sheila Wright-Hogeland, of Helmsley, co-founded a support group after learning about Mr Neale's background in January last year.

She told the Evening Press: "Not one member of our group as former patients was informed about his past history by him or any of the hospitals at which he worked. We wouldn't have gone near him had we known about his background."

Dr Neale is now said to be seeing private patients at consulting rooms in Leeds. Mr Neale issued a statement saying: "There is no safe evidence that I am an unsafe gynaecologist whose right to remain in practice, unfettered by a tiny number of vexatious patients and unwelcome and inappropriate media activity, should be protected."

He said he was happy for his work at Northallerton to be inspected.

A spokesman for the GMC said today: "Prior to 1997 no significant evidence had been provided to the GMC which would enable them to take action against Dr Neale's registration. He is now the subject of an investigation."

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