A spiralling crisis in the finances and performance of NHS Grampian has been the subject of a Scottish Parliament debate.
The board has hit headlines due to its financial problems, some of the longest waiting times in Scotland, and frequent ambulance stacking at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The situation was so desperate this year it has taken out a “brokerage” loan from the Scottish Government of £67.5 million, bringing total debt owed to £92.2m.
A critical incident was declared at ARI in November, when patients were diverted from the hospital because the capacity simply wasn’t there.
Cancer waiting times are the worst in Scotland, with more than 40 per cent of patients waiting longer than two months to receive their first treatment after being referred.
And MSPs heard more than 3,000 patients have been on waiting lists for more than two years.
Interim chief executive Adam Coldwells is retiring and a replacement has yet to be found.
Scottish Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden secured a members’ debate at Holyrood on Tuesday.
Mr Lumsden said: “The board’s escalation to enhanced monitoring and reliance on government bailouts underscore the seriousness of the situation.
“This simply cannot continue. The time has come for a robust and meaningful response. The Scottish Government must now take steps to put patients and staff first and place NHS Grampian in special measures.
“The Scottish Government must make this a priority—not just for the sake of the North East, but as a signal to every patient in Scotland that they matter.
“During recess I spoke with residents in Turriff, and repeatedly constituents raised the continuing lack of services in the local hospital… forcing them to travel to hospitals like Aberdeen Royal Infirmary who simply cannot cope.
“A hospital severely under pressure, so much so that staff were forced to declare a major incident and turn patients away. A winter plan that had already unravelled in November.
“These failings are not down to the thousands of dedicated doctors, nurses, surgeons and many other frontline staff. This is as a direct result of the mismanagement by NHS Grampian’s board.”
Tess White MSP pointed to a Scottish Government underspend on NHS Grampian according to the NRAC parity formula.
This stands at £250 million over the last 10 years, compared to other health boards in Scotland.
She added:
“This underfunding has resulted in the erosion of community hospitals, closed inpatient facilities, and the end of night-time minor injuries units.
“And it means NHS Grampian has the lowest bed base in Scotland.
“All of this has created substantial pressures on hospitals, GPs and the ambulance service, with crews queuing for hours just to get in the door of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary – a symptom of a system stretched beyond its limits.”
