Revealed: John Swinney failed to consult NHS boards on merger

There was no consultation with Scottish NHS boards before John Swinney announced they would all be scrapped, research has revealed. A trawl for documents consulting on the mass merger of Scotland’s 14 regional health authorities has exposed a lack of communication with those delivering frontline healthcare about the shake-up. Most commented 1 Ukraine ‘has run out of Patriot interceptor missiles’ Russia-Ukraine war 235 comments 2 British-made drone boats used in attack on Russian port of Sochi Defence 129 comments 3 Severe drought declared in England for first time Environment 82 comments 4 Lisa Nandy ‘minded to intervene’ in Sky’s £1.6bn deal for ITV Companies & Markets 64 comments 5 Sonay Kartal trounces Jasmine Paolini to reach Wuhan Open quarter-finals Tennis 4 comments All 14 boards said they could not provide consultation documents regarding the restructure under freedom of information legislation because the paperwork did not exist. NHS Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert Alamy NHS Forth Valley said they had “not been involved in any consultations regarding the merger ”. Top stories 1 US inflation hotter than expected as Iran war stokes fuel costs Economics NHS Highland said they were “not consulted on the proposal before it was announced”. Advertisement Swinney, the first minister, revealed plans to slash the number of health authorities in Scotland to two when he announced his programme for government on September 1. The current timetable suggests legislation to introduce the change will be brought forward before next summer. Swinney meets Stephanie Tacy during a visit to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow Alamy Nora Murray-Cavanagh, chair of the British Medical Association in Scotland, has said the medical body was not consulted about the reorganisation. Top stories 1 Pope Leo has ‘second good night’ after lung cancer surgery Europe 2 Should you buy shares in Vanguard LifeStrategy? Companies & Markets She has called on Swinney to shelve the scheme and to work with staff instead to develop the right model for patients. Peter Todd, a campaigner from Caithness, issued freedom of information requests to all 14 health boards asking to see the consultation documents. Replies were sent in September and October. The NHS Grampian site housing the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, left, and Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, centre Alamy NHS Grampian told him: “The Scottish government did not hold a consultation before making the programme for government announcement regarding territorial health boards and public service reform.” Advertisement NHS Western Isles added that they were not engaged in consultation. Every regional board said they did not have any consultation material, and therefore could not supply it. Scotland newsletter Your weekend briefing from the Scotland edition of The Times and The Sunday Times. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Scotland newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Scotland newsletter Explore our newsletters Todd said it was “disgraceful” there had been no discussion, leaving staff to find out what was happening from the media. “There are grave concerns in rural areas about services being centralised further [under the two health boards model]. John Swinney had not even got the courtesy to inform all the health boards before it appeared in the press,” he said. Todd, who battled with NHS Highland after being forced to travel more than 100 miles to Inverness for psychological treatment, expressed concern that axing regional health boards would ultimately lead to more services being lost in outlying communities. Advertisement He questioned how often a chief executive responsible for the entire west of Scotland would ever visit a remote town such as Caithness to understand local needs. Miles Briggs, the health spokesman for the Scottish Conservative party, said the absence of discussion was “further proof that John Swinney is making it up as he goes along when it comes to public sector reforms”. Miles Briggs SST/Alamy Live News He continued: “It is a total dereliction of duty for him not to have even consulted with any health board before he unveiled plans to reduce the number of them to just two. “Swinney and his ministers must urgently come clean on exactly what their health merger plans will mean for patients and staff across Scotland. Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman, said the lack of consultation was another example of the “culture of secrecy” associated with the SNP government. Advertisement She said: “Scottish health boards must be at the heart of discussions about their future and ministers must provide assurances about what the proposed mergers mean, not just for our healthcare staff but also the patients across Scotland that they provide care for.” Dame Jackie Baillie Iain Masterton/Alamy Live News A Scottish government spokesman said: “Scottish ministers have been clear that development of detailed proposals, supported by a full business case, will include engagement with NHS Boards, staff representatives, trade unions, local government, Integration Authorities, social care partners and the public.”