St Vincent’s Hospital: what is happening to US endowment, asks Badenoch community
A Badenoch community is demanding to know from health chiefs what has happened to the largest bequest ever left to NHS Highland.
The £311,000 bequest left at the turn of the Millennium was to have been spent on St Vincent’s Hospital in Kingussie.
Questions are being asked by community leaders in the town where the money has gone.
The legacy - described by a senior health official as ‘the largest NHSH has ever received’ - was left by an American woman in thanks for the kindnesses shown to two of her relations at the now derelict cottage hospital.
Having held the late Ms Theresa J. Burall of Seattle’s money for 23 years, an NHS endowment trust still reportedly holds more than £293k unspent.
A local retired solicitor who is now handling the investigation told the Strathy: “The money in the pot is probably now worth less than half what it was when it was bequeathed.
“There are so many questions which are not being properly answered.”
A spokesperson for the Highland Health Board Endowments Funds charity told the Strathy that monies had been spent in Badenoch over the years until the bequest was frozen in 2021 on the closure of St Vincent’s.
In 2014, when it was known that St Vincent's would close in favour of Aviemore’s £12m community hospital, Nigel Small, then a senior NHSH executive, advised that the fund would be used for the benefit of healthcare in Kingussie - but after another 10 years the vast majority of the bequest has still not been used.
Mr Small also stated at the meeting that NHSH had wanted to use the fund in connection with the proposed new hospital at Aviemore - but had ultimately accepted that they could not.
Ian Moffett, one of the team now demanding answers in Kingussie, told the Strathy: “NHSH have held no discussions with community representatives on the proposed use of the fund, as had been promised by the then local NHSH managers.”
What has made things worse for the community is the news that NHSH has attempted to change the geographic area for use of the fund from Badenoch to ‘Badenoch and Strathspey’.
Highland councillor Russell Jones fears that the endowment trust’s application to OSCR, the charity regulator, is a belated attempt to get the money explicitly intended for Badenoch spent in a wider area after all.
“The application did not have to be advertised, but neither NHSH nor the trust had taken any steps to advise us of it. Fortunately, our various community organisations had time to lodge objections to OSCR.”
These included Mr Jones, Kingussie and Vicinity Community Council, ARC, the local Emergency Medical Equipment Fund, the local GP practice and Kingussie Community Development Company.
Messrs Moffett and Jones, along with community council secretary Janet Kinnaird and Dr Mary Anderson, have said that the only acceptable geographical concession would be to extend the target of the money from the disused St Vincent’s to ‘Badenoch’, basically the area the hospital covered.
Said Mrs Kinnaird: “We would be happy to see the money spent in Newtonmore, Dalwhinnie, Laggan, Kincraig, Insh and the surrounding areas as well as Kingussie.”
At a meeting with NHSH and the endowment trust, the community representatives were advised that the trust would attempt to have OSCR agree to a change in the current OSCR application, restricting it to Badenoch.
Mr Moffett explained: “When OSCR advised that this could not be done, but would require the existing application to be withdrawn and a fresh one lodged, NHSH and the endowment trust declined, advising that they were continuing with the existing application.
“We are insisting on the withdrawal of the current application in favour of a new submission to OSCR to re-direct the funds for use within Badenoch.”
He stressed: “We are not trying to be awkward but feel strongly that this will allow clarity of what is happening and where the funds are to be spent, with no ambiguity.
“Also during this time, the various community groups could meet with representatives of NHSH and the trust and develop a clear and mutually acceptable plan on where and how the money could be spent.
“This would mean the NHSH and the trust will be ready to act when the funds become available."
But despite Badenoch’s concerns, the board and the trust are refusing to withdraw the current application to OSCR. Nor have they offered to discuss their intentions regarding the bequest.
The local community has also been refused a copy of the will.
“We got a tiny peek of one extract - with redactions!” said Mr Moffett. “They have chosen to fob us all off until such time as the OSCR decision had been decided. All requests for consultation have fallen on deaf ears.”
But as Dr Anderson pointed out: “There are so many things in Badenoch which could have benefitted from the money which it should have received so long ago. We have suggested the re-establishing of day care facility at Wade Centre in Kingussie, or spending on upskilling current staff at Wade Centre to then facilitate extended care of ‘end of life’ patients in Heather beds.
“We would want to see money spent on Kingussie’s therapy garden and possible other therapeutic projects for residents at Mains House in Newtonmore.”
Mrs Kinnaird pointed out: “Also a number of transport difficulties for patients in Dalwhinnie and Laggan areas have been outlined to us. These result in difficulty accessing health care locally. We remember only too well the proponents of the Aviemore hospital saying that ‘not a turf would be cut until a proper local transport system was in place’.
“All these projects we are suggest are, or could be, under the remit of NHS in Badenoch and are in need of resources which could be provided by the remaining Burrell Fund.”
Mr Moffett also pointed out: “None of our suggested projects are new, but are supporting existing staff and patients in Badenoch to improve overall care in this community, to whom the legacy was bequeathed.
“These suggestions, we would strongly argue, also cover a similar population as were previously served by St Vincent’s Hospital within this community.”
He echoed the community’s frustration at the health board and the endowment trust's ‘lack of openness and the reluctance to engage, communicate or discuss with community representatives what the aim is for redirection of the fund after so many years of inaction’.
In response to the community’s concerns, a statement issued to the Strathy by the endowment fund trust read:
“The Highland Health Board Endowment Funds charity was honoured to have been the beneficiary of a bequest by Ms Theresa Burall in support of St Vincent’s Hospital, Kingussie.
“Between 2002 and 2021 the bequest supported a variety of initiatives in conjunction with the community at the Hospital, benefitting patients from across the region.
“Following a comprehensive community consultation, engagement and service redesign process, St Vincent’s Hospital closed in 2021 and since the closure, the bequest was frozen until a change of purpose could be agreed through OSCAR, the Scottish Charity regulator. The charity has since explored a range of alternative uses for the remainder of the legacy with input from both community and NHS Highland representatives.
“However, Trustees do not wish to pre-empt the decision of OSCR who are yet to conclude their review of an application submitted in January to modify the original site-specific restriction attached to the bequest which can no longer be fulfilled.
“Charity Trustees treat their responsibility for the governance and expenditure of all charitable funds with the utmost care and diligence. The charity operates independently of NHS Highland and is legally obliged to avoid funding services or activities that fall within NHS Highland’s core responsibilities or create long-term financial commitments the charity cannot sustain.
“The value of all funds held by the charity is reported annually in its publicly accessible accounts. While it is not appropriate for the charity to directly share personal documents, such as wills, with the public, individuals have been advised on how to access the will if required.
“The Charity and NHS Highland representatives have engaged extensively with Badenoch community representatives in recent months in a genuine commitment to foster open dialogue and transparency. The Trustees respectfully await the outcome of the ongoing process with OSCR and remain confident that an appropriate use of the funds will be identified.
“They are committed to continuing their engagement with the local community to ensure the bequest is used in a way that aligns with the charity’s mission and delivers meaningful health improvement.”
