This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Shake up at Argyll and Clyde NHS
17/12/2002
Sweeping changes designed to restore confidence in NHS Argyll and Clyde were announced today.
A new interim management team has been sent in to tackle strategic and operational challenges and get the development of health services in the region back on track in an area serving a population of 423,500 people with an annual budget of £434 million.
Argyll and Clyde was found to be lacking in strategic direction and incapable of effective decision making resulting in mistrust and loss of confidence.
The Chief Executives of the NHS Board and the three NHS trusts in the area have agreed to step down to make way for a fresh approach. They will receive severance/retirement packages on standard NHS terms.
Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm said:
"There can be no doubt that changes were needed in NHS Argyll and Clyde. There have been problems of collective leadership in tackling what I acknowledge to be tough and demanding issues. That was clear from the findings of the Support Group which I asked to go in to help the NHS Board in October.
"Through the interim management team, I and the Executive's Health Department are giving all the support we can to John Mullin (chairman of NHS Argyll and Clyde) and his colleagues at NHS Argyll and Clyde. We need to ensure that we now move forward, for the benefit of patients, the public, and NHS staff.
"There are thousands of dedicated and professional health service staff in Argyll and Clyde, all keen to continue to do a good job for their patients and the public generally, and to develop better services and improve quality of care.
"The new interim management team will help to ensure that this commitment and enthusiasm are harnessed for the benefit of everyone who uses NHS services, by ensuring that resources are planned and deployed effectively and sustainably, and in ways that engage partners and involve patients, the public and staff.
"I am absolutely determined that we see management approaches adopted that devolve responsibility and decision making to staff who are directly involved in delivering health care. That is the best way to achieve an effective health service which responds directly to patients' needs and which motivates staff to really give of their best.
"NHS Argyll and Clyde now needs to look ahead. It will take time to develop the right strategic approaches, to build the right partnerships, and to get decision making devolved as far as possible."
John Mullin said:
"We can now look forward to re-establishing confidence with the general public, patients and staff in Argyll and Clyde.
"In September, Argyll and Clyde NHS Board announced plans to look at a better integrated and more unified structure. The interim management team will develop this with the active involvement of staff, trades unions and professional organisations.
"We will work together to remove organisational and bureaucratic barriers. This collective and collaborative approach will mean better planning and more coherent delivery of health services and more effective linkages with our partners in local authorities and beyond."
Trevor Jones, Chief Executive of NHSScotland, said:
"It had become clear that major changes were needed. Difficult decisions had been taken in the light of the Support Group's conclusions. The key thing now is to move forward.
"I am confident NHS Argyll and Clyde is very well placed to resolve outstanding problems, build on the achievements of its workforce and develop excellent healthcare services which are equal to any in Scotland."
The interim management team comprises: Neil Campbell, Chief Executive of Grampian NHS Board; Terry Kirchin, former General Manager of the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health and former Director of Human Resources for Lanarkshire Primary Care NHS Trust; and James Hobson, senior manager Public Sector Advisory Division, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Glasgow.
The Chief Executives who have stepped down are Mr Neil McConachie (Argyll and Clyde NHS Board); Mr David Sillito (Argyll and Clyde Acute Hospitals NHS Trust); Mr Michael Bews (Lomond & Argyll Primary Care NHS Trust); and Mr George Buchanan (Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Primary Care NHS Trust).
The Support Group comprised: Peter Bates, Chairman of NHS Tayside; Neil Campbell, Chief Executive of Grampian NHS Board; and Cameron Revie, Regional Lead Partner, Public Sector Advisory Division, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Glasgow.
The group last night (Monday 15) gave a presentation of its findings to Argyll and Clyde NHS Board.
A written copy of its conclusions will be made available shortly. The main findings are:
- Lack of strategic direction and clarity of goals for the NHS in Argyll and Clyde
- Loss of confidence and reputation giving clinicians the perception that the system is incapable of making decisions
- Mistrust and blame culture instead of team work
- A "them and us culture" at certain levels between NHS trusts and the NHS board
- Ineffective relationships with local authority and planning partners, clinicians, MSPs and other stakeholders.
- A lack of shared understanding over strategic direction and the true financial position which comprises a shortfall of between £25 million and £30 million
- Some evidence of robust planning but little actually implemented in practice
- Little has changed in the wake of previous attempts to create a cohesive team approach.