A review covering thousands of X-rays taken at Scottish hospitals was announced yesterday after concerns were raised about the work of a consultant radiologist.

Health board NHS Highland said it was launching checks to ensure no patient has an undiagnosed illness which should have been picked up at an earlier stage.

The move follows the revelation in The Herald last week that questions had been raised about the interpretation of X-rays by locum Dr James Murray, while he was working at Lorn and Isles Hospital in Oban.

He has already been named as the consultant at the centre of a problem in the Republic of Ireland which has prompted thousands of chest X-rays to be re-examined.

The Scottish review will cover X-rays and barium enemas where the images were interpreted at Lorn and Isles between October 2007 and May 2008. This includes some patients who were seen at community hospitals in the Argyll and Bute region.

Dr Mark Simpson, a GP in Lochgilphead, welcomed the move, saying his surgery had been contacted by patients concerned about the situation.

However, he added: "We still have not had a clear answer about what is going to happen to the ultrasound examinations. They cannot be a case for re-reading, they have to be re-done.

"Our practice has written to Derek Leslie (director of planning and performance for the health board) requesting that they are re-done."

The situation has raised questions about the future of radiology at Lorn and Isles, a small rural general which fought off proposals to withdraw consultant cover four years ago.

After Dr Murray, who is thought to be 74, resigned in May it is understood a 75-year-old locum briefly took his place. He is no longer working at the hospital.

Dr Simpson said: "The question arises as to what kind of service we get in the future. We would certainly favour a service using additional technology, which has been available for the last five years.

"We would look at supporting a system where we have a high-quality reporting system involving a large unit."

Dr Murray, who lives in East Lothian, worked for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for six months in 2005-06 and a review of his work was undertaken then after points were raised about his style of his reporting, rather than his clinical interpretation of images. No discrepancies were found.

In the Highlands a question was first lodged about Dr Murray's reading of an image in December and a GP has since flagged-up more than 10 further cases for scrutiny.

After being contacted by The Herald last week NHS Highland said it had asked a senior clinician to look at a small number of cases as the start of an investigation.

Yesterday NHS Highland medical director Dr Ian Bashford said: "We are proceeding to a review because the information looked at so far is not enough to give us cause for concern or the necessary reassurance. We wish to stress that of the thousands of images read at Lorn and the Isles Hospital over the past several months we have only had concerns raised about very few.

"We are, however, taking these concerns seriously and are taking all necessary steps to provide reassurance."

The review will prioritise cases for further attention. GPs can also flag up concerns they have and patients who are worried can contact the health board about their inclusion.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "NHS boards are responsible for ensuring the quality, safety and effectiveness of the services they provide, and that appropriate governance arrangements are in place.

"I am aware that NHS Highland are treating this matter seriously." She added that she had asked to be kept fully informed about the situation.

Patients with concerns are advised to contact their GP or ring NHS Highland on 08000 282836.