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Health inspectors probe ARI

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary

Cameron Brooks and Alison Campsie

SENIOR NHS Grampian managers were accused of “getting it wrong” last night after whistle-blowing medics forced them to call in a team of watchdogs.

It is understood one senior consultant at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary wrote directly to Health Secretary Alex Neil to raise his concerns amid increasing alarm about standards of patients care.

A source at the north-east’s flagship hospital said some clinicians had become “fearful” about the way people were being treated because of a lack of resources.

It was announced yesterday that Healthcare Improvement Scotland will visit ARI to carry out an independent review of several key areas.

Standards in emergency medicine, surgical specialities and care of the elderly will all be scrutinised.

End-of-life care, safety of medicines, management of sepsis and identification and response to deteriorating patients will also be on the radar of the inspection team.

A source told the Press and Journal last nigh: “Gifted surgeons are concerned about the lack of resources at the hospital to carry out follow-up work.

“There are excellent men and women here who are fearful about patient care.

“It is all very well doing the best operation you can, but what happens when there is not the appropriate follow-up nursing for the patient?

“It is patient care at the very heart of this matter.”

And Jean Turner, of Scotland Patients Association, said: “If you have got staff complaining on this level and staff are walking out, then management has got it wrong.”

NHS Grampian said the inspection followed complaints from a “small number of staff”.

The Scottish Government was informed earlier this year about clinician concerns – and the relationship between medics and management will be examined in the new review.

NHS Grampian chief executive, Richard Carey, said he welcomed the inspection.

“The vast majority of our patients report a positive experience, with over 95% of people surveyed by our patient safety team describing their care as good, very good or excellent,” he said.

“However, we are not complacent and we will continue to make positive strides in building safe and high quality healthcare for the people of the north-east.”

The inspection was announced after serious recruitment issues were exposed at ARI, with a shortage of consultants and senior training doctors recorded in accident and emergency.

Meanwhile, about 900,000 hours of nursing was carried out by agency and bank staff last year as NHS Grampian struggled to attract permanent workers.

Mr Carey acknowledged concerns had been raised about staffing levels and “bed boarding”, which involves patients being taken from specialist wards and moved elsewhere.

He added that NHS Grampian had issues with waiting times but its record on patient safety and quality of care was very high.

Professor Jason Leitch, clinical director of NHS Scotland, said the review demonstrated the health board’s commitment to providing the highest standards of patient care and supporting clinical staff.

But North-east Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald accused the Scottish Government of “meddling” with the running of NHS Grampian.

He said SNP ministers should instead provide the health board with the money it needed to do its job, pointing to a £30million shortfall in its budget this year.

Mr Macdonald said: “The NHS in Grampian needs the resources it was promised, not meddling and micro-management by officials from the very government which is letting patients down.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said HIS was responsible for inspecting the NHS and was not part of the government.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is expected to publish its report at the end of the year.