Cover-up fury over surgeon whose 'errors' left women's lives in ruins: NHS gynaecologist's alleged mistakes left women incontinent and unable to have sex Gynaecologist Jayne Cockburn was suspended from duty in 2011 Hospital bosses took three years to alert patients that she had treated Lawyers allege that Miss Cockburn left patients incontinent It is claimed that some of the procedures were carried out without consent Some former patients have been awarded £50,000 in compensation Managers at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey have written to 100 patients By Stephen Adams and Martyn Halle For The Mail On Sunday Hospital managers have been accused of covering up the surgical record of an NHS gynaecologist whose alleged mistakes devastated the lives of some of her patients. Jayne Cockburn is thought to have operated on hundreds of patients at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey, before an investigation led to her being suspended. She was stopped from carrying out operations in 2011 but it took hospital bosses three years to reveal this to the patients she had dealt with. Lawyers claim that NHS gynaecologist Jayne Cockburn left some of her patients incontinent, file photograph Lawyers allege that: Miss Cockburn's surgical mistakes left patients incontinent, in pain or unable to have sex She carried out clinically unnecessary operations She performed some procedures without patients" consent Hospital bosses finally wrote to 101 former patients this summer saying they had had "cause to undertake a clinical review" of the consultant's surgical practice. The hospital has admitted that about half of these women suffered "potentially significant" medical issues. The letters prompted a wave of claims. Solicitor Philippa Luscombe of law firm Penningtons Manches, which is dealing with more than 20, said: "She was diving in and operating left, right and centre, without obtaining full and proper consent. There are some very sad cases, such as women left doubly incontinent when they were seeking help for a relatively minor problem. Some will never have a sex life again. It's nasty. One former patient, in her 50s, said surgical complications after a hysterectomy carried out "without good reason" had effectively destroyed her marriage. She said: "My husband is still with me but we are no longer intimate. We are like brother and sister. Jacqueline Elston, 52, who has been awarded £50,000 in compensation, was left incontinent after a series of operations during which incisions were allegedly made without her consent. She said: "It cannot compensate for the fact that I have to live with these problems for the rest of my life." Miss Cockburn was suspended from carrying out operations at the Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey, pictured And Mike McLeod, 43, from Fleet, Hampshire, whose mother Yvonne died in 2004 after a prolapse operation, said: "As far as I'm concerned this is a cover-up by the hospital. They have known for years there was a problem with this surgeon. Pathologist Norman Ratcliffe said Mrs McLeod died of an abdominal infection, as a result of an instrumental perforation of the small bowel. The General Medical Council has launched an investigation into Miss Cockburn, according to lawyers. A spokesman for Frimley Park Hospital said: "Following the hospital's own review earlier this year into care and treatment provided by the consultant up to 2011, we offered 101 patients the opportunity to be seen by a gynaecologist. About half were found to have potentially significant issues as a result. He said Miss Cockburn "has not carried out any clinical duties at Frimley Park Hospital since 2011." He refused to say whether or not she was still being paid by the trust. He said former patients had been contacted only recently because "the scale of the issue only became apparent over a period of time, during which a pattern of complaints emerged." Miss Cockburn was not contactable.