Dave Thompson MSP

Members of Patients First Scotland met Shona Robison Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport in Holyrood on 31st March, 2015. Their meeting was arranged by Dave Thompson SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the desire of Patients First Scotland for the Scottish Government to adopt the Freedom to Speak Up Review, an investigation into the treatment of NHS Whistleblowers, by Sir Robert Francis QC –who previously led the inquiry into the Mid Staffs Hospital. At present health professionals who raise concerns over patient safety are in danger of being bullied and their issue being turned into an employment problem. This can result in severe mental health problems, loss of career, financial security, marriage break up and ultimately unemployment.

The issue of the patient’s safety is lost in the ensuing punitive treatment, this has no worthwhile benefit to patient or staff and Patients First Scotland call on the Scottish Government to develop safe systems enhancing the much needed culture change within the NHS today. Patients First Scotland were represented in the Patients First UK thematic review which was submitted to Sir Robert Francis since 23% of the cases were from Scotland. It is not just an English problem, it is an internal problem within the NHS in the UK today.

Whilst Shona Robison welcomed the Freedom to Speak Up Review she made clear that final agreement had yet to be reached over which aspects were to be adopted for Scotland. But the fact that the Scottish Government wants to implement some of those recommendations suggests it has acknowledged the Francis findings. Annie Norman – Patients First Co-ordinator Scotland and Staff Nurse NHS Highland/Raigmore Hospital asked the Health Minister over her strategy in assisting health boards tackle bullying in the workplace, to which Ms Robison replied that she felt the Whistleblower Alertline gave staff an avenue to raise concerns and also that the creation of guardians within health boards as recommended by Sir Robert Francis gave further scope for safe reporting by frontline staff.

Annie did not feel the Alertline was a robust tool and reported that she would not use it as it reported back into the system; whilst the idea of guardians is yet to be finalised by Scottish Government. It was disappointing to Patients First that no reference was made to the detrimental treatment of staff, bearing in mind the serious staff shortages everywhere today. The financial cost of this negative behaviour towards staff is not recorded but must be enormous.

Mr Thompson said, “It was excellent to assemble Kathleen White,(PF Scotland); Annie Norman (Co-ordinator PF Scotland); Dave, Dr. Sukhomoy Das, Rab Wilson, Mr. Ed Jesudison (Deputy Chairman PF UK) to the Parliament to discuss this very important issue.

“The Minister made it clear that the final agreement has yet to be reached on which aspects of the Freedom to Speak Up Review would be applied to Scotland.

“However, I do appreciate Patient First’s concerns on the need to create a culture in the NHS whereby reporting is not met with recrimination and the requirement to create a working environment that makes it easier to raise concerns without meeting a punitive response”.