Retired NHS workers thwarted in attempts to help during crisis

A recently retired doctor has been foiled by bureaucracy in his attempt to offer his medical expertise during the covid pandemic.

Dr Crawford Reid worked as a consultant anaesthetist with NHS Forth Valley and did the odd bank shift for NHS Tayside.

The retired consultant said his attempts to help out during the health crisis had been “an unmitigated disaster.”

Dr Reid, 65, who serves as a Perth and Kinross councillor for Strathallan, officially retired in July 2019, getting his P45 from NHS Tayside in August and then September from NHS Forth Valley.

But keen to be of service, he got himself back on the General Medical Council register in late March as soon as the call was put out for help with the crisis.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “To get through all the next set of hoops and hurdles has been virtually impossible. It really has been a bit of a bureaucratic nightmare.

“There is a general frustration from those who have been shown to be willing and the system has not been willing to be flexible.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are constantly assessing requirements to ensure we are deploying staff in a way that is responsive to the changing phases of the Covid-19 pandemic. As we move through different phases of the pandemic and start to remobilise services across our health and social care system, their support, skills and experience will be vital but we will also carefully review the system to ensure that any unnecessary steps are removed while making sure the necessary pre-employment or validation checks are completed.”