Former NHS Highland manager opens up on 'bullying culture'

A FORMER NHS Highland manager contemplated suicide because of his personal experience of alleged bullying at the heart of the organisation.

And he has described a whistle-blowing bombshell unleashed on the health board this week by a group of clinicians as “NHS Highland’s Me Too moment”.

He praised four clinicians who have put their heads above the parapet to publish a damning diagnosis of a perceived bullying regime spanning a decade.

NHS Scotland chief executive Paul Gray is expected to discuss the issues with board chairman David Alston today.

The board has offered to discuss the complaints – but questioned whether there was any evidence to substantiate them.

The ex-manager, who is now in his 50s and contemplated suicide, did not wish to be identified.

He quit on medical advice after suffering ill health due to “vicious” treatment by his superiors.

He said: “The culture, the personnel, changed at the top and within a short period of time I was being picked on, bullied viciously.

“I became very ill as a consequence of the constant attacks. My mental health deteriorated to the extent that I was suicidal and was under treatment.

“The medical advice was to leave the organisation for the good of my health and I did that.

“These clinicians have been exceptionally courageous. They’ve been working behind the scenes for a long, long time to try and get this resolved and it’s come to this now because there’s not been a willingness by the senior managers to take this process seriously.

“There are a lot of people like me, in positions similar to mine in the organisation, who are grateful to these clinicians for the statement they’ve made. Now we’re looking to the higher authorities, the Scottish Government if necessary, to address this matter directly.”

In a reference to the global protest movement against harassment, he added: “This is like NHS Highland’s Me Too moment.”

NHS Highland was also accused of a “cover-up” by refusing to discuss the complaints at this week’s routine board meeting despite the topic being primed as important at a forum prior to the Inverness gathering.

The subject did not make the agenda, however there was a passing reference to “whistle-blowing” before board members were told the matter would be discussed in private.

The region’s medical director Rod Harvey faced a barrage of local and national media calls on the subject in the wake of the clinicians’ statement. But he insisted the complaints did not merit an external, independent inquiry that critics are crying out for.

He confirmed that the allegations were discussed at a “development session” prior to the public board meeting and that the board agreed to offer to meet with representatives of the area medical committee “to explore and understand the basis of the concern, so appropriate action could be taken."