Cover-up claims as hospital report is ‘diluted’

THE Scottish Government has been accused of a “culture of cover-up” in the NHS after revelations of a report into the care of older people at a city hospital.

Health inspectors from Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) are alleged to have produced a diluted report about Ninewells Hospital in Dundee after initially shelving it.

The document analysing care at Ninewells Hospital was doctored to disguise the extent of problems, the Sunday Herald reported.

A draft of the report is understood to state that 35 patients were left on trolleys and wheelchairs for as long six hours while waiting for a bed, while the final copy only detailed “some”.

The report was shelved by HIS 24 hours after its managers met Gerry Marr, who is chief executive of NHS Tayside and a board member of HIS.

A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “As chief executive of NHS Tayside, Mr Gerry Marr is the accountable officer for inspections carried out by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) on NHS Tayside premises and services.

“There is no conflict of interest as Mr Marr has not been involved, or indeed present, when any decisions relating to the Ninewells Older People’s report were made by HIS.”

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman, said: “Over the last few days, we have seen the lengths the SNP Government will go to in a bid to cover up the mismanagement of our health service.

“Now we have NHS bosses trying to bury and play down the poor treatment of elderly patients at Ninewells who were left to wait for hours on trolleys and wheelchairs because beds were unavailable.”

A spokesman for Health Secretary Alex Neil said: “Prior to the establishment of HIS there was no robust inspection of older people’s services in hospitals.

“To date, 12 hospitals have been inspected and in the case of three of these, there has been a follow-up report, which includes an unannounced inspection.”