NHS Highland reaches 'the end of the beginning' in tackling bullying in overhaul of its culture with board 'willing to be criticised and challenged'
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NHS Highland has reached “the end of the beginning” as the formal process set up to deal with damaging bullying claims comes to a conclusion and the board moves to implement a wholesale overhaul of its culture.
Board members will hear tomorrow about the final report from the Independent Review Panel (IRP) set up in the wake of a review by John Sturrock QC into claims of a bullying culture within the organisation.
It oversaw the Healing Process and was responsible for awarding participants restitution – including compensation, psychological support and apologies – where the board had failed to do so.
More than £2.8 million has been paid out to 233 individuals, with 175 receiving psychological support.
A total of 135 people requested apologies, with 117 of these granted.
The total cost of the scheme is not yet finalised, as some costs, particularly for psychological therapies, are still ongoing but in terms of compensation 81 individuals received £500-£5000; 100 got £5000-£15,000; 44 received £15,000-£30,000; six got £30,000-£60,000; and two received £60,000-£95,000.
Despite the conclusion of this stage of the process, health bosses admit more still needs to be done as a union also called for positive changes to continue.
A spokeswoman for Unison said: “Unison agrees with the IRP that there are fundamental issues that need to change – better ways to evidence change is happening, better and quicker systems to ensure staff can raise issues of poor behaviour, and increased staff confidence that issues will be addressed.
“Staff need to start seeing evidence of this positive cultural change on the ground now.”
The saga was exposed by a quartet of whistle-blowing medics in 2018. Representatives of the health board have since issued apologies.
Victims have spoken out publicly, and privately some have revealed the impact of the bullying led to suicidal thoughts.
Fiona Hogg, NHS Highland’s director of people and culture – who was appointed in 2019 – has said for the board to properly move on it needs to be less defensive and more open to criticism.
“We absolutely know that, for every individual – we have 10,500 staff across 41 per cent of Scotland – there is no way we can guarantee what everybody’s experience is going to be, so it takes a long time,” she said.
“We have to move away from that defensiveness that is intrinsic in some services we deliver – we want to be willing to be criticised and challenged because we won’t get everything right.
“I am pleased with what we have achieved so far but it is coming towards the ‘end of the beginning’ phase of our culture transformation and we are moving into the longer-term, more substantial part to reach every single person in the organisation.”
In the report to be considered by NHS Highland tomorrow, the IRP pays tribute to those who had the “courage and commitment” to raise bullying concerns.
It is also explicit about the toll bullying had on individuals, detailing how “many of the participants in the Healing Process had had suicidal thoughts”.
NHS Highland’s external culture adviser Emma Pickard said: “We acknowledge that despite significant delivery against many of our actions, culture change is not yet embedded at all levels of our organisation.
“Our next phase of activity needs all our colleagues and managers to play their part in the transformation at a local level, with our support.”
The steps towards achieving that are included in a new five-year strategic plan for the health board, titled Together We Care.
