Report finds ‘no malicious intent’ in Eljamel logbooks destruction

The report said that the DND notice was communicated to all NHS Tayside employees via its “Vital Signs” staff bulletin in November 2024.

The investigators said the bulletin was “high-volume” and “mixed-purpose” with up to eight posts a day.

Staff said that these included “content unrelated to vital activities”, such as advice for travelling during icy weather.

The report noted that the DND notice message “did not stand out among routine or low‑priority communications”.

It added: “The Vital Signs was not targeted to areas that were specifically relevant to Eljamel i.e. neurosurgery theatre.”

The destruction of the logbooks came to light during a hearing of the public inquiry last November.

Joanna Cherry KC, speaking on behalf of the patients’ group, told the Eljamel Inquiry that the decision to destroy the logbooks, which included the years 1995 to 2013, “beggars belief”.

Staff clearing a neurosurgery department office discovered the logbooks in July last year.

They had sought advice from the Health Records department, but the report said there was “conflicting evidence about what advice was actually given”.

It added: “Much of the confusion stemmed from misunderstanding the contents of the logbooks and unclear ownership of record-keeping responsibilities.”

After being advised of the standard eight-year retention policy, the logbooks were placed in confidential waste bags and removed.

Officers from Operation Stringent, the criminal investigation into Eljamel’s professional conduct, requested the logbooks in August 2025, leading to NHS Tayside discovering that they had already been destroyed.