Scotland’s NHS damned for ‘deep-rooted’ failings

MEDICAL leaders have called for a major shake-up of the NHS after a damning new report found “deep-rooted and systemic failings” in Scotland’s health service.

Prof Alan Paterson was scathing about care standards

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in Scotland today publishes a report entitled “Learning from Serious Failings in Care”, which was commissioned following inquiries into failings at NHS Lanarkshire, Vale of Leven Hospital and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in 2013 and 2014.

NHS Lanarkshire was ordered to make widespread improvements following a probe into above-average mortality rates, while inspectors found serious problems with management and staffing at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

The Vale of Leven hospital, in Dunbartonshire, was subject to a public inquiry following the deaths of 34 people in the country’s worst outbreak of clostridium difficile.

A working group from the academy compared these inquiries alongside a similar report into serious failings in care in Mid Staffordshire in England.

The strongly worded document said the failure of clinical staff and NHS management to work together had led to poor patient care, poor staff morale, inadequate complaints handling and poor leadership. Professor Alan Paterson, of the academy, said: “It is clear that serious failings in team working between clinical staff and NHS management played a significant role in the failings in care identified.

“These failings are deep-rooted and systemic. They must not be ignored if we are to learn from them and to prevent 
repetition.”

Poor leadership and accountability meant bullying was endemic in many hospitals and the prioritisation of targets was leading to “appalling failings in care”, Prof Paterson added.

The report has made 20 recommendations in areas of leadership, culture and professional engagement, inadequate staffing, quality of care and patient experience, and external review.

Ian Ritchie, chair of the academy, said: “Clinical staff and management must work more effectively together as teams. They must also be supported in doing so by ending the focus on inappropriate targets and making quality of care our over-
riding priority.”

The report was described as a “damning indictment” of the failure to address challenges facing the NHS, according to Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Jim Hume MSP.

He said: “Scottish Government ministers took their eye off the ball during the referendum and our NHS is in crisis as a result.”

The Scottish Government has pledged to review the recommendations within the report alongside any follow-up to the Vale of Leven, Grampian and Lanarkshire reviews.

Clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said: “We are committed to driving up standards in our NHS which is why we have led the way in responding to the reports detailed in the Scottish Academy’s report.”