NHS Highland board members voiced concerns a full year before the whistle was blown on bullying in the health board, a letter has revealed.
But a group of executive board members successfully stopped their non-executive colleagues from acting on their concerns.
A year later, four medics spoke out – sparking a train of events culminating in an investigation by John Sturrock QC, and the highly critical findings in his report published in May this year.
Yesterday the whistle blowers criticised the ‘intimidating, marginalising behaviour’ of the board executives, calling on them to resign and allow the truth to come out through a new high-level investigation.
The letter, dated August 21, 2017, is headed: “Confidence in the chief executive and chair of NHS Highland.”
It goes on: “The following executive board members wish to confirm to our non-executive colleagues that we are expressing our unreserved support for the chair and chief executive.”
A covering letter states: “It may be helpful, in terms of facilitating on-going discussion, for non-executive directors to have some high level awareness of the views of the executive members of the board.
It also claims two other “key members” of the executive team felt the same.
Dr Iain Kennedy whose group finally blew the whistle last year, described the letters as evidence of a major cover-up by the executives and ultimately the whole board.
He said “I feel really aggrieved for the hundreds of victims who had their suffering prolonged for another year until we were compelled to make our public exposure in September 2018.
“The executive directors who orchestrated this letter should be suspended and there should be an investigation by a judge or another QC as to why this cover up was allowed to prolong the suffering of the hundreds of victims Sturrock said suffered serious harm and trauma.”
Dr Kennedy went on: “The letter is the very pattern of intimidating, marginalising behaviour which the victims of bullying have described.”
A spokesman for NHS Highland said: “The letter was written in August 2017 at a point in time that preceded much of the information which has subsequently come to light.
“We are sorry for all of the hurt that has been caused to many members of staff.”
Gavin Smith, GMB union’s lead representative for NHS Highland described the revelations as shocking.
He said: “The non-executive directors appear to be taking a steer from executive directors. Their job is to hold them to account, not roll over.
“Serious questions must be asked about how the board of directors operates – this is poor governance, pure and simple.”
