Councillor Angus McCormack’s resignation from the WIHB has highlighted the differing opinions about who is best suited to serve on governing bodies in the Hebrides.
Earlier this week, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar councillor Angus McCormack resigned from the Western Isles Health Board (WIHB) after a vice chair was elected who does not live on the islands.
He had represented the Comhairle on the board for just one meeting.
In his letter of resignation, he said appointing Tim Ingram vice chair was “not acceptable”, especially since “there are suitable locally based board members”.
Speaking to the Press & Journal, he explained that he had already been “troubled” by the presence of “four members of the board who are non-local”.
This means half of the board’s non-executive members live on the mainland.
Tim Ingram’s appointment was a “step too far”, he said.
‘An island perspective’
A spokesperson for the WIHB said that all board members are “expected to take and support decisions that are in the best interests to the whole of the Western Isles”.
But Mr McCormack says people unfamiliar with island life might not understand those interests fully.
“It’s difficult for me to see how they can bring an island perspective to the decisions of the board.”
While the WIHB accepted his resignation, they say they “completely disagree” with his reasoning.
They said that it was vital to have a “non-discriminatory” process for appointing non-executive members.
Having a “wide range of individuals” on the board is a strength, they said.
It “ensures diversity, innovative approaches, and effective scrutiny”.
‘They’re looking for all the wrong things’
But Mr McCormack says the selection process is too bureaucratic, and is excluding islanders.
“They’re looking for all the wrong things.”
He says experience with “qualifications, process, procedures and governance” is being valued over “knowledge of the local area”.
He says he knows of “a number of local people who had applied to join the Western Isles Health Board who had been turned down.”
“I just can’t understand that.”
The argument cuts to the heart of doubts as to how useful Scottish Government strategies are to the Western Isles.
‘It’s the fault of the Scottish Government’
This week’s row is a familiar one to Mr McCormack.
He said that, back in 2005, Councillor Angus Graham and he started a campaign to make sure that all officers of the WIHB lived in the islands.
“Eventually, we won that campaign,” he says. It was then that he began serving on the WIHB himself.
He was a member of the board for ten years.
He says that, while he disagrees with the WIHB’s current direction, he doesn’t blame them personally.
“It’s the fault of the Scottish Government,” he says.
They don’t “seem to appreciate that island people have their own way of thinking about things.”
“This doesn’t just apply to health. This applies to everything in the islands.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “All ministerial public appointments in NHS Scotland are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.
“These appointments are made on merit, so the candidate (or candidates) who provide the strongest evidence of the criteria being sought are those recommended to Ministers.
“The identification of a vice chair is an internal matter for each NHS health board who then provide a recommendation to the Cabinet Secretary to consider for appointment.
“Following this process, Tim Ingram was appointed to the position of vice chair.”
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