The woman spearheading the campaign to get Oxford surgeon Henk Giele reinstated says she is disgusted with responses she has received from Tony Blair, Cherie Blair and the Department of Health.

Claire Binns with her husband Lee, 10-year-old Liam and Chloe, fiveClare Binns, of Hill Close, Chipping Norton, wrote the letters in a bid to boost the campaign, which has seen hundreds of people pledge their support for Mr Giele, who was struck off from his job as a top plastic surgeon at the Radcliffe Infirmary.

He was found guilty of serious professional misconduct after having an affair with a patient, a married businesswoman, but has since lodged an appeal.

Mrs Binns, whose five-year-old daughter Chloe underwent 12 operations carried out by Mr Giele, says the replies she received from Mr and Mrs Blair and the Department of Health were far from adequate.

She said: "I wrote separate letters to Tony Blair and Cherie Blair, both of whom suggested courses of action which we had already taken in the very early stages of the campaign.

"I also wrote to Patricia Hewitt at the Department of Health. Again, the response was nothing we didn't know already.

"It even suggested we write to the General Medical Council, which doesn't make sense, as it was the GMC that struck him off and against whom he has lodged the appeal."

Because she was so dissatisfied with the Department of Health's response, Mrs Binns made a complaint and is now waiting to hear from health officials.

She added: "The ball is really in the Department of Heath's court now. I have asked for help from them but at the moment have not received any.

"We are doing our best to get Henk back at work, doing what he should be doing. The sooner we get him back the better.

"The support we have received from former patients and families of patients has been absolutely fantastic."

Mrs Binns's daughter was born with a radial club arm, which left her without a thumb and made her hand useless. Because of Mr Giele's surgery, she can now use both hands perfectly.

"There's something seriously wrong with striking off such a brilliant plastic surgeon.

"If he did have an affair then his patient was a consenting adult and I think striking him off is a very harsh move."

The Oxford Mail was inundated with letters of support from patients of Mr Giele after he was struck off in March.

A date for his appeal has yet to be announced.