NHS Tayside crisis shows we may need to spend more on health

It is tough to know who had the worst Thursday night: Health Secretary Shona Robison or the then-chairman and chief executive of NHS Tayside, whose dismissals she effectively ordered.

Two scandals in the space of a few weeks forced Ms Robison’s hand.

The first was the revelation £5.3 million from NHS Services Scotland intended for digital health projects had been misappropriated for other health spending.

It then emerged charitable donations given to NHS Tayside for patient comforts had been used for a new office computer system after the board agreed to temporarily suspend its own rules on how this cash was used.

Ms Robison called time on NHS Tayside’s chairman Professor John Connell and said the position of chief executive Lesley McLay – an NHS employee she has no power to fire – had become “untenable”.

NHS Tayside’s finances have been out of control since 2012 – six years and at least two health secretaries ago.

Ms Robison believed change was necessary and while it was clear time was up for Ms McLay, the defenestration of Professor Connell was the wrong decision made for the wrong reasons.

A decent man, well-liked by his colleagues, he was given the thankless task in 2015 of returning NHS Tayside to an even financial keel.

To put the health board’s finances into context, its annual budget is more than £750m. It is expected that by the end of this financial year, it will owe the Scottish Government around £45m in loans.

This is a huge sum, but relatively small given the health board’s total spending over that time.

In fact, until the misappropriating of eHealth funds was discovered, its deficit this year would only have been something in the region of £4m.

For six years the Scottish Government has refused to grasp the nettle when it comes to NHS Tayside.

It has finally taken action but, ironically, the only one to come out of last week’s debacle with their reputation intact is Professor Connell.

Given the financial straits most health boards find themselves in, the problems at Tayside cannot simply be written off as financial mismanagement, although that has clearly occurred.

If health boards across the country are spending above their means, then perhaps we are not giving them enough money.

And if the NHS needs further funding, then it is the Scottish Government’s responsibility to find a way to provide it.

Because, eventually, there will be no more fall guys left to blame.

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Picture: Kris Miller. It has been a tough week for Health Secretary Shona Robison.