The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Health board pays out £79,000 on staff taxis
nhs tayside: Five-figure cost after cabs used to ferry staff from Stracathro to Dundee
A Freedom of Information request has shown that NHS Tayside paid almost £80,000 in five months to taxi staff from Angus to Dundee as a result of the interim closure of the Mulberry adult mental health ward at Stracathro Hospital.
Angus Council’s leader has described the taxi bill as “extravagant” and said he feared the unit within the £20 million Susan Carnegie centre at Stracathro will be closed.
A junior doctor crisis forced the decision to move Angus General Adult Psychiatry (GAP) inpatients to Carseview.
All 49 Mulberry staff transferred at that time, although it has been stressed not all require taxis to travel to work.
The Rowan and Willow wards at the Susan Carnegie centre have continued to provide care for psychiatry of older patients, but under the interim arrangement Mulberry staff are taxied to work in Dundee.
NHS Tayside paid a total bill from February to June of £79,166.
A consultation on the future of adult mental health services in Tayside is running until October, but Angus Council leader Bob Myles said his fear is that the handling of the Mulberry situation has already determined the outcome.
“I am sure the general public in Angus are more than happy to pay for their health provision, but they probably didn’t expect such an extravagant figure to be going on taxi fares,” said Councillor Myles.
“I’m very disappointed the way the whole thing has been handled.
“They blamed the interim closure on not being able to attract staff and I think that’s a bit of a cheek when the word was already out that the Mulberry was closing.”
He continued: “It seems crazy that we have a good facility here in Angus and they have changed the goalposts and used the wrong parameters for assessing it.”
Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership host GAP inpatient services in Tayside and the partnership’s chief officer, Robert Packham said, “As part of the interim relocation of the Mulberry ward to Carseview, we developed a travel plan for staff affected by the move.
“This included a range of different transport options.
“In normal circumstances, any permanent change of work place would be managed for each member of staff under the NHS Tayside organisational change policy.
“As the contingency plan required staff to move with their patients, these special arrangements are in place to maintain safe and sustainable care for patients and to support the staff through this period.
“We continue to monitor and review the transport requirements for staff and to make adjustments as required.”
It seems crazy that we have a good facility here in Angus and they have changed the goalposts and used the wrong parameters for assessing it. COUNCILLOR BOB MYLES