Surgeon who delivered David Cameron's baby Florence facing legal action Þ A mother whose baby died of severe brain damage two days after birth; Þ A woman who underwent a botched hysterectomy that left her in agony and enduring four further operations to repair the mistakes; Þ A grandmother left in pain for a decade after routine surgery went wrong. Mr Jones, 64, was finally suspended in May 2012 after an investigation found his deficiencies were so broad and had gone on for so long that it would be unrealistic to consider retraining him. He then retired and removed himself from the medical register - meaning he cannot face disciplinary procedures by the General Medical Council. However there were previously seven official reviews into Mr Jones's professional competence - the first in 1997, when the hospital realised they faced more claims against him than any other obstetric consultant. The hospital's own reports show that on 23 different occasions concerns had been raised about his performance - but the problems were never properly examined. Sir Bruce said: "If a doctor doesn't know what the hell he is doing, how can anyone help them or the patients they are treating? There is no excuse for any doctor or hospital not to examine performance properly. The final investigation followed an anonymous letter which was sent to Mr Cameron at Downing Street in June 2011 and passed on to the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust. That culminated in the publication last week of a series of damning reports into Mr Jones and the obstetrics and gynaecology services at the hospital. Carole Gill, a college English lecturer whose daughter Maggie died in January 2010, is planning legal action after Mr Jones and other staff failed to spot acute pancreatitis during her pregnancy. Maggie died two days after being born with severe brain damage. Carole Gill with baby Maggie (Apex) Miss Gill, 35, said: "My illness should have been picked up sooner. If it had been, things might have turned out very differently. The mother of a baby born with brain damage in 1993 has now received a £9million compensation payment. The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said that had the signs of pre-eclampsia been spotted by Mr Jones, her son - in all likelihood - would have been born without any problems. Mike Bird, a clinical negligence solicitor at the law firm Foot Anstey who represents 45 of the women threatening legal action, said yesterday that serious failings had been identified at the hospital in an official report published last week by Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust. "Many of the women I act for have already contacted me to say how angry and upset they feel about the catalogue of missed opportunities and excuses they have seen in the report," he said. Although the concerns about Mr Jones were first officially raised in 1997 when he was made clinical director, and include obstetric cases, the trust's inquiry only examined gynaecological cases between 2010 and 2012. It found that 52 patients suffered complications, and an additional 57 women have been recalled for further examination. Lawyers and victims complain the review was far too limited and did not go back far enough. The first investigation into Mr Jones was in 1997, when it was found he was recording a higher number of legal claims than his colleagues in obstetrics. Another investigation was held a year later. In 2001, a nurse highlighted 15 cases involving Mr Jones but no full investigation was undertaken after it was declared a "mammoth task" to go through records. In 2007 there was another investigation, then in 2008, a review of treatment of 45 of Mr Jones's patients found "significant surgical incompetence." But the hospital's then medical director was persuaded by Mr Jones not to take any further action. The report describes Mr Jones as "charming and disarming" in his efforts to save his career. In January 2010, after Miss Gill's baby died, he was suspended temporarily from practising obstetrics. He was allowed to return to such work in February 2010 although in July 2010, according to the report, there was still a "high level of concern." A month later he delivered the Camerons" baby. The anonymous letter sent to Downing Street and passed on to the hospital was followed by two further reviews. The final report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in April 2012 concluded he should not return to work. Martin Watts, chairman of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, said: "On behalf of the trust I wish to unreservedly apologise to these women and their families for the pain, distress and anxiety caused by the practice of former obstetric and gynaecology consultant Mr Rob Jones." He said the review "confirms that concerns identified about some of Mr Jones's practice should have been addressed with more vigour and urgency." A statement issued by the Medical Defence Union, on behalf of Mr Jones, said: "Mr Jones was pleased to note that of the 2,400 women whose care was reviewed, in nearly 95 per cent of cases there was no cause for concern. He is of course sorry for any patient who suffered a complication of surgery and to any patient who has had the stress of their care being reviewed. The union said Mr Jones had cooperated "fully" with inquiries, and was only made aware of two of the investigations - one by the trust, the other by the Royal College - and added: "He was unaware of concerns apparently expressed about his practice to Trust management at other times. Mr Jones has always been prepared to talk openly and constructively with the Trust about concerns relating to his practice.