Old debts must be paid before new start

The removal of the management team at the top of NHS Tayside after revelations of accountancy rulebending was hailed by the Scottish Government as a fresh start for the embattled authority.

It is hard to maintain that stance in the wake of revelations that former chief executive Lesley McLay has earned £10,000 since being removed from post.

Ms McLay is on sick leave – and has been since being effectively dismissed – and cannot be removed from post until she is deemed fit to return to work.

Whether she is fired or given another job remains to be seen.

She is entitled in law to every penny she has been paid.

However her situation, raised in the Scottish Parliament during yet another debate on the state of the cash-strapped board’s finances, raises wider issues.

As public bodies increasingly plead poverty and taxpayers are warned to expect less for their money in future, it is easy to be cynical about spending priorities in the face of instances such as this.

After revelations of endowment fund cash being used improperly by NHS Tayside, the authority’s management is battling to regain public trust.

Letting the situation with its former chief executive drag on will do no one any good.

It must be settled, without any hint of reward for failure, as soon as possible.