Under-fire surgeon Stephen Westaby has challenged the findings of a damning NHS report, claiming the crisis at the Oxford Heart Centre is not his fault, writes Victoria Owen.

The South East Regional Office report launched after complaints about Mr Westaby's colleague, Ravi Pillai advised both men to work together or the future of the centre would be "bleak".

Not my fault: Stephen Westaby Their relationship was blamed for cancelled and fewer operations and nursing shortages, and they were told to put their personal animosities to one side or leave the unit, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

However, the world-renowned cardiac expert has in turn criticised the report. He said bickering staff at the shamed Oxford Heart Centre argued every morning to get their patients the vital operations they needed.

Mr Westaby said: "Worst of all, the report fails to state that my workload of 12 to 14 operations per week was cut to three or four very much against my wishes at a time when the UK desperately needs more cardiac surgery. Five surgeons sharing 17 nursed ward beds is a recipe for serious problems, but it is not our fault that there is a grave national shortage of nurses willing to work in high-risk areas.

"The report does not explain that the surgeons have to argue every morning for the privilege of taking patients to the operating theatre and to decide whose patients will be cancelled because of lack of operating theatre nurses or intensive care beds."

Mr Westaby was also criticised for not being a team player and for building up his research programme into the revolutionary Jarvik 2000 artificial heart project at the expense of the unit.

The report said: "While we would not wish to criticise unduly what might be a pioneering research programme, we must note that at the time the last Jarvik heart was implanted, 40 per cent of the beds on the cardiac recovery ward were closed."

Although Mr Westaby welcomed the review, he said the report failed to emphasise that the trust had "Europe's most forward-looking laboratory and clinical artificial heart programme" and did not mention that £1.5m had been raised privately for clinical trials which had no NHS funding.

Managers at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust were blamed for the centre's mismanagement, and Mr Westaby said it was they who should be held responsible for the lack of leadership within the department.

But trust chief executive David Highton said the surgeons had to accept some of the blame for the unpleasant atmosphere within the unit. He said managers and surgeons would be working together to resolve the problems.