MSP fears recruits will be put off NHS Highland
ALLEGATIONS of widespread bullying of staff at all levels within NHS Highland will destroy its recruitment prospects, according to a north politician.
Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP Ed Mountain based his warning on the surge of complaints triggered by four whistle-blowing clinicians – and a staff letter spelling out the bruising extent of financial cuts the board is making to tackle its latest budget crisis.
The staff letter, from Raigmore Hospital’s head of acute services Katherine Sutton, lists key savings targets including drugs cost containment of £2.2 million in oncology, haematology, neurology, rheumatology, gastroenterology and ophthalmology.
It also confirms an aim to restrict spending on locum and agency staff by managing costs "within available budgets".
Mr Mountain said: "NHS Highland spent almost £8.8 million last year on agency nurses – a 44 per cent increase in five years. How are they going to make savings?
"The only way to make savings on agency staff is to recruit people – and would you work for NHS Highland in the current climate of alleged bullying? Would you work for NHS Highland when it’s closing down services?
"I don’t see them reducing the need for locum and agency staff."
He said short-term savings meant frontline cuts.
"What we don’t want to be doing is making savings on the frontline," Mr Mountain said.
"We need to ensure the frontline is operating to maximum capacity and we’re making the savings within the administration and the management. If you’re not doing that you’re not going to run a proper service."
He said the letter had been leaked by a member of staff sickened by frontline service cuts.
He added: "Legally, the government have an obligation to meet operations within 12 weeks. It’s enshrined in law and here we have people saying that’s not going to happen.
"The people on the frontline are running to keep up. They’re doing everything in their power to deliver the services that they want to deliver and we widely expect, and they’re being let down by management who can’t get a grip of the fiscal situation."
The MSP said he now has days filled with back-to-back appointments with NHS staff feeling let down, harassed and put upon.
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Mr Mountain said the Scottish Government’s latest NHS Highland debt write-off, confirmed last week, is not a long-term solution to the board’s financial woes.
It followed a report from Scotland’s public body financial watchdog, Auditor General Caroline Gardner, who concluded she had "serious reservations" about the board’s ability to make necessary changes to balance the books in future.
NHS Highland has projected a £19 million to £23 million budget gap this year.
It needed a £15 million Scottish Government loan in 2017-18 and is currently working on a long-term recovery plan.
A spokeswoman for NHS Highland said: "In common with many parts of the NHS, recruitment is a significant concern for us in general and for some specialities in particular. This is something we closely monitor and have a number of ongoing actions including redesign of services.
"Recruitment fairs have also been held and have gone well.
"We don’t know what the impact these allegations will have on recruitment.
NHS Highland is one of the biggest employers in the area and the most recent iMatter data (2018) showed that 88 per cent of responders said the organisation was a good place to work.
"We restate our position that we urgently wish to meet with the four clinicians as soon as possible so we can understand their concerns including the seriousness of safety concerns."
GMB union regional officer Liz Gordon said: "Unfortunately it’s the case that recruitment is affected by poor governance of finance and culture, Highland has a reputation. Frontline staff are already paid less than in neighbouring boards and this has exacerbated the recruitment problem."
