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NHS Highland is ‘making progress on bullying’ according to HR boss Fiona Hogg who says in the worst cases staff could be fired a move welcomed by one victim who warns that harassment continues


By Scott Maclennan

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Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

NHS Highland insists it is making good progress in dealing with workplace bullying, despite a report that acknowledges slippage in some areas.

As part of measures to make sure it maintains its focus on tackling the problem, regular updates are presented to board meetings, with the next of these due to take place on Tuesday.

As it stands the report details a number of areas of the so-called Culture Programme as being at amber, meaning a risk of either failing to deliver benefits and/or being behind schedule on that delivery.

Board members are told there are a number of reasons for this including illness suffered by several project leads, “system pressures” and summer leave.

Yesterday, however, HR director Fiona Hogg told the Courier that some slippage had already been made up since the report was prepared, with a previously flagging new leadership and management training scheme launched last week.

“We have got four different levels and there will be about 90 places available in this first cohort,” she said.

“We have also continued to develop the Courageous Conversations, and that has been really helpful – a lot of the management challenges we have come down to the ability to have good conversations that tackle difficult subjects with a bit of skill.”

She also gave reassurances that the Guardian Service set up to provide staff with a confidential external forum in which to raise concerns will be kept for as long as it is needed. More than 200 NHS Highland staff engaged with the service in its first year.

“We are committed to that for the foreseeable future because it is like a safety valve, it is a check on the organisation and in the environment the NHS is working in at the moment,” she said.

“That kind of safety net is hugely valuable to us.”

She also said that dismissal remained an option for the worst offenders when it comes to bullying.

“In most cases it is about discussions, coaching, resetting parameters, and if there are gaps in a manager’s capability then that would be worked on with learning and development,” she said.

“There aren’t many cases where it is black and white, but if that is found then the manager might be given a warning and, in the most serious of cases of gross misconduct, they would be dismissed.”

Tuesday’s board meeting will also hear how just over £2 million of taxpayers’ money has been paid out so far to 150 victims of bullying who registered with the board’s Healing Process.

A total of £3.4 million is expected to be paid by the end of the process, against a budget of £4.2 million.

Aside from a financial payment those who bring complaints of bullying to an independent review panel can ask for and be granted other measures including a written apology and access to psychological therapies.

Brian Devlin, former head of communications for the board and author, who has himself taken part in the Healing Process, said: “I and many other people that I know benefited from psychological therapies which were provided independently from NHS Highland.

“That provided an enormous amount of healing for me and people I know.

“In terms of the rest of what has been reported, it has taken us a long time to get here but it is certainly good news that NHS Highland is adopting the policies of terminating contracts if bullying is so severe.

“It is heartening to see that the work of the victims and the Scottish Government, and particularly the independent review panel, will result in an estimated £3.4 million worth of justice and healing being made available to people who suffered horrifying abuse in NHS Highland over the years.”

However he added: “I have been told on the record that bullying persists at NHS Highland and that some people feel that is worse than ever before.”

Related Story – New Listening and Learning colleague survey results show NHS Highland moving in the right direction but finds bullying is still a problem


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