THE West Lothian hospital criticised by a sheriff after allowing an alcoholic doctor to perform operations is at the centre of new legal inquiries into the deaths of two more patients.

A fatal accident inquiry will be held later this month into the death of Miss Elizabeth Elder, 62, in St John's Hospital, Livingston.

Miss Elder, of Almondell Court, Broxburn, had been admitted to the hospital and died five days after breaking her leg when she fell out of bed at Middleton Hall nursing home, Uphall, last August.

The procurator-fiscal at Linlithgow has also ordered a fatal accident inquiry into the death of elderly patient Joyce Lawson, who died in St John's last year. It will be heard in June.

The hospital was criticised by Sheriff Principal Gordon Nicholson, QC, earlier this year following an inquiry into the deaths of patients Willie Callachan, 69, and Ann Halloran, 56, who both died after operations performed by surgeon Gerald Davies. He had admitted drinking half a bottle of whisky a night.

In his judgment, the sheriff principal accused hospital officials of running an ''Alice in Wonderland'' system in dealing with staff complaints against doctors.

He added: ''There were no clear procedures in place at St John's Hospital for dealing with a situation where a consultant surgeon raised serious concerns regarding the professional competence of another consultant surgeon.

''Steps should be taken at St John's Hospital to identify one surgeon to whom complaints or concerns about another surgeon should be addressed.''

Hospital officials said they had already dealt with the problems identified by the sheriff principal.

A hospital spokesman said yesterday that neither of the new cases were related to the Davies inquiry.