There were angry calls yesterday for ten executive and non-executive directors currently on NHS Highland board to stand down or be suspended amid claims they failed to act despite their own grave concerns about bullying in the organisation.
NHS Highland described the calls as “an unmerited distraction from the important business of implementing the recommendations in the Sturrock review”.
Evidence shown to the P&J shows that non-executive board members of NHS Highland formally agreed two years ago that the governance of the organisation was a risk to its values and objectives, and a potential risk to the board’s quality and safety plan.
But no action was taken.
Bullying whistleblower Dr Iain Kennedy said: “It is clear that there has been a major cover-up of board failings in safety, quality and leadership.
“Those who failed to act are not fit to fix a problem they could have fixed in 2017.
“It’s shameful and they need to go.”
The new evidence shows that the non-executives in the summer of 2017 in which they agreed two damning statements, but did not act on them.
The first statement, agreed unanimously, reads: “We feel that the culture and leadership of the organisation is a risk to our stated values and objectives.”
The second, agreed by a majority, reads: “We also feel that it is a potential risk to our quality and safety plan.”
NHS Highland’s Director of Corporate Communications, Jane McGirk, said: “The chair and CEO have full confidence in the board and these repeated personal attacks on individuals are an unmerited distraction from the important business of implementing the recommendations in the Sturrock review to which NHS Highland is fully committed.
“If the whistleblowers wish to discuss any concerns they may have about specific individuals, there is a robust mechanism in place and these discussions should take place directly between the whistleblowers and NHS Highland.”
