Yousaf ‘disappointed’ in watchdog’s handling of concerns on patient safety

First Minister Humza Yousaf has said he is “very disappointed” in an NHS watchdog’s handling of public safety concerns at a hospital in Glasgow.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) apologised to consultants at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) for its “shortcomings” in investigating 18 months’ worth of evidence about overcrowding and staff shortages which staff said “seriously compromised” the safety of patients.

The concerns were first flagged by 29 consultants in May 2023 but the watchdog did not ask to see the evidence or meet with any of the doctors.

Instead, it launched an investigation and spoke with senior executives at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) before closing it in August last year.

However, complaints in January this year were upheld that the doctors were not given the opportunity to discuss or present their evidence.

Speaking in Edinburgh, Mr Yousaf said: “I’m very disappointed, and in fact frustrated, at the way these cases have been handled by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and it is right that HIS has apologised to those who raised complaints.

“I’ve personally asked for detail around the action that HIS will be taking in order to make sure this doesn’t, and can’t, ever happen again.

“Let me say unequivocally to staff that whoever they are within the health service, they should feel empowered to be able to raise complaints.

“That’s why this Government brought forward, of course, the independent national whistleblowing office. It’s why we have whistleblowing champions in health boards right across the country.”

The First Minister said the Scottish Government had overseen “record levels” of NHS staffing, alongside the “best-paid” staff across the UK.

A letter, seen by the BBC, from HIS chief executive Robbie Pearson said: “I would like to offer my sincere, unreserved apology for our shortcomings in this matter and the clear distress they caused you all.”

He also offered an “assurance” that HIS will learn lessons as a result of the complaint.

The watchdog has now been presented with the evidence from consultants.

Dr Lailah Peel, deputy chair of BMA Scotland and an A&E doctor, told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “The fact that consultants have had to go to that level to raise these kind of concerns, and then they’ve been essentially ignored until this point, is really, really worrying.

“What we really need to see now is not just an apology but some actual action that is going to help these consultants, help the whole department and help patient safety.”

She warned that overcrowding was a concern all across hospitals in Scotland, adding that “no A&E staff member will be able to tell you they have not seen harm happen to a patient that could’ve been avoidable in the last three years”.

A spokesman for HIS said: “We can confirm that we first received patient safety concerns in May 2023 from consultants at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital regarding the hospital’s emergency department.

“These concerns were considered through our responding to concerns process, which allows NHS staff to raise concerns in confidence about the quality and safety of healthcare.

“Following our initial response outlining our findings, we received a complaint from the consultants about their experience of the process. We met with the consultants and agreed with aspects of their complaint, and instigated action to address the issues that were raised.

“We take the findings of the complaint very seriously and are committed to ensuring that our processes for handling concerns about patient safety are robust.

“We recently received additional information from the consultants about their patient safety concerns and this information is currently being considered.

“Meeting again with the consultants will be part of our process for considering these concerns.”

An NHSGGC spokesman said: “We are committed to improving the patient experience at the QEUH and have been working with consultants within the emergency department (ED) alongside HIS following concerns raised around staffing and capacity levels.

“The ED team are involved in hospital-wide plans to support the department by relieving pressures on the front door and improving overall patient safety which remains our top priority.”