Bosses at NHS Grampian must have hoped for a fresh start in 2015 following a year of damaging headlines.
With a new chairman and interim chief executive in place, in the shape of Professor Stephen Logan and Malcolm Wright, the outlook should have been brighter for the north-east health board.
However just days into the new year, patients at its flagship hospital are describing a system “in meltdown”.
Problems at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were brought into sharp focus in June 2014, when consultants in the A&E department warned patient care was at risk due to staff shortages and whistleblowers triggered a major investigation into standards.
One orthopaedic specialist Dr Simon Barker claimed doctors at ARI were “exhausted” because of staff shortages after it emerged that a consultant had been flown from India to cover casualty shifts.
In October, outgoing medical director Dr Roelf Dijkhuizen told a Holyrood committee the board has been shortchanged by £1billion over 10 years, while health chiefs admitted more than 600 complaints about staff shortages had been made to NHS Grampian in the previous year.
That same month, the board was rocked by a series of high-profile departures as chairman Bill Howatson, top consultant Mark Mitchelson and chief executive Richard Carey all announced they were quitting.
In November former health secretary Alex Neil visited ARI and claimed there was no crisis at the health board. He was replaced days later in a cabinet reshuffle by new First Minister Nicola Sturgeon..
And last month, an urgent investigation was announced into a number of surgeons and consultants at ARI after two top-level reports found failings with staff conduct and patient care.