NHSbossstepsdownamidcashrow

NHS Tayside’s head of finance has dramatically stepped down amid concerns about the way £5.3 million was recorded in the health board’s accounts.

It has also emerged that in addition to stepping down, Lindsay Bedford also plans to retire soon prompting politicians to commission an “independent external review” of the beleaguered health board’s books.

The embattled health board has already received government bailouts totalling more than £30 million after repeatedly overspending its budget and the discovery that another £5.3 million was actually improperly recorded means it now needs a further bailout.

Jenny Marra MSP, the convener of the Scottish Parliament’s public audit committee, said: “There are huge question marks here around what has happened and where this money has gone.

“We will be asking some serious questions around this. I would expect NHS Tayside to provide [a] full explanation in due course.”

Health secretary Shona Robison, who is also an MSP for Dundee, commented: “As soon as this situation came to light we commissioned an independent external review which is now under way and will report back shortly.

“In the meantime, the Scottish Government will provide additional brokerage to ensure the financial position in NHS Tayside remains stable in order to protect patient care and services and ensure they remain the priority.”

Lesley McClay, chief executive of NHS Tayside, said: “NHS Tayside has been the subject of much external scrutiny over the past 12 months and this change to the financial outturn so late in the financial year is very unexpected.

“The £5.3 million of funds identified which are now the subject of the external review mean that we will now require additional brokerage.

“Of course, this is highly unsatisfactory for the board and therefore we have already taken steps to include further savings in our 2018/19 financial plans to account for this.”