Dave Thompson MSP

I first met Annie of Patients First Scotland (PFS) at a surgery of mine in Caol in 2012. She had experienced bullying in the workplace and was in need of some assistance. As part of helping Annie with her case, it led to her being instrumental in bringing PF to Scotland, an initiative that was already active and successful in England.

So it was with some delight that I was able to meet with Members of PFS and Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport in the Scottish Parliament on 31st March, 2015.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the desire of PFS to encourage 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 insecurity, unemployment, and even marriage breakdown.

I am naturally supportive of Patient’s First’s aims to create a better environment for health professionals who wish to raise concerns about patient care. Health professionals owe a duty of care to patients to do their best by them so by supporting the goals of PFS I am confident that duty will be maintained and that it will create a better working environment for them.

The issue of the patient’s safety is often lost as a result of the punitive treatment which results from whistleblowing. This has no worthwhile benefit to patient or staff and PFS are calling on the Scottish Government to do more to develop safe systems enhancing the much needed culture change within the NHS today.

The Scottish Government has already created the National Confidential Alert Line for NHS Scotland employees, which was initially launched as a pilot on April 2, 2013 and then in March this year, Alex Neil MSP, the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing announced that following the successful pilot period, the service was to continue.

This is great news, as this positive addition will allow Health Boards to be alerted to potential problems in their area, meaning issues are dealt with more effectively, before problems are allowed to escalate.

PFS were represented in the PF UK thematic review which was submitted to Sir Robert Francis, since 23% of the cases were from Scotland. Despite the NHS in Scotland being devolved, this highlights an internal UK wide problem and one that we should tackle.

Shona Robison welcomed the Freedom to Speak Up Review, although she made clear that the final agreement had yet to be reached over which aspects would be adopted in Scotland. However, the mere fact that the Scottish Government is inclined to implement some of the recommendations, shows recognition of the Francis findings, which I look forward to being updated on in due course.

Annie Norman – PFS co-ordinator and Staff Nurse at NHS Highland/Raigmore Hospital used the meeting to ask the Health Minister about her strategy in assisting Health Boards to 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 is not convinced that the Alertline is a robust enough tool. It was, however, agreed in principle that the idea of guardians is good one, but that it is yet to be ironed out by the Scottish Government.

PFS were also keen to emphasise how there is a detrimental effect on staff as a result of mistreatment and that the financial cost of this negative behaviour must be enormous, which of course is another fantastic reason to support the aims of PFS.

“Patient’s Opinion”, an independent charity website, is another additional resource for patients to help improve services, used extensively by NHS Highland, and is a website I would encourage folk to use if they have not already.

There is a need to create a culture in the NHS where reporting is not met with recrimination and the requirement to create a working environment that makes it easier to raise concerns without facing a punitive response.

The best way to build an NHS we can be proud of is one where those who dedicate their lives to patient care feel listened to when they need to speak out.

In attempting to change the culture of our NHS we need to focus on reconstructing outmoded attitudes to create an atmosphere where name calling, bullying, intimidation and any form of victimisation has no place, and this is why I am behind Patients First’s call to help making that change.