Health Secretary Shona Robison hailed a “sea change” in the culture at NHS Grampian yesterday – despite hearing concerns over the suspension of senior staff members.
The SNP minister moved to reassure patients and workers as she arrived in Aberdeen to chair the health board’s annual review.
The meeting was held after a dramatic year for the region’s health authority, following three critical inspection reports and the departures of its chairman and chief executive.
Concerns have also been raised in recent months about disciplinary proceedings taken again eight consultants, three of whom have now been cleared by the General Medical Council.
NHS Grampian chairman Stephen Logan told an audience of almost 100 current and former staff, as well as patient representatives, that the authority had made “significant progress on a number of front”.
He highlighted a 96% patient approval rating last year, and a 75% score from staff, as well as the recruitment of new doctors and nurses, and a £40million investment plan for the next five years.
However, several audience members raised concerns about the suspensions of staff and the protection of whistleblowers, as the panel was quizzed after yesterday’s review at the Dental Institute at Foresterhill.
Malcolm Wright, health board chief executive, insisted that the correct procedures had been followed.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, Ms Robison said: “I had very open meetings with staff, and they didn’t mention those things, they wanted to talk about the fact that it’s important the message is that whoever you are in the NHS – whether you’re a porter, a nurse or a surgeon – that you have to abide by the same expectations of behaviour and conduct.
“No matter what your status, you don’t get any different treatment.
“As Malcolm pointed out in the annual review, the issue around those suspensions, and of course that’s a tiny number of staff out of 14,000 staff, arose out of very, very serious concerns from external reports.
“The board couldn’t ignore those reports, and the action that’s been taken is in response to the content of those reports. The General Medical Council as the regulator also has its processes, and it will be looking at the issues in front of them from a regulator’s point of view.”
Hailing the progress at the health board, she said: “I think the leadership team has made a marked impression on the staff in Grampian.
“I’ve been up a number of times on visits, and of course I did the annual review in January, and then the annnual review today, and the thing that struck me in discussing with the staff is they say things like it’s a sea change, the atmosphere is different, they are able to raise issues and want to raise issues, knowing that they will be dealt with in a way that’s respectful and is going to be listened to.”
Mr Wright echoed the sentiments, saying: “I think the health board has definitely turned a corner now, and we were able to report today on a whole range of things that are moving in the right direction, and I think the improvement we’ve seen since December last year is really quite remarkable.”
Dr Jamie Weir, chairman of patients’ body Pact, was left disappointed that the board did not provide answers yesterday on 12 questions he lodged in advance of the meeting.
He said: “They are putting in a number of initiatives which are to be very welcomed. When staffing numbers are up to satisfactory levels and funding is on parity, then we may be able to seem some improvement.”