NHS Forth Valley is taking steps to address issues within its Emergency Department at Forth Valley Royal.
Chief executive Cathie Cowan provided an update - following the publication of last month’s independent review - to Forth Valley’s board when it met yesterday (Tuesday).
An extraordinary meeting of the board has been called next month to fully review the report.
The Culture and Governance Review was commissioned by the chief executive in December 2020 after unions raised allegations of bullying and harassment within the Emergency Department team at the Larbert hospital.
The Royal College of Nursing and Unison feared the problems within the department could impact on patient safety.
The independent review was published last month. It criticised NHS Forth Valley for not red-flagging high levels of sickness and resignations within the Emergency Department.
Frontline staff said they were “battle-weary” and a third of the department’s consultants left over a short space of time.
Mrs Cowan told the board she and NHS Forth Valley’s chairperson Janie McCusker had met with local staff within Forth Valley’s Emergency Department in recent weeks.
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She said they had met with staff to “discuss the review recommendations and any additional actions or improvements which could address the issues raised.”
The chief executive told the board: “I’d have to say in these meetings that staff have spoken very positively about the review process and appreciated the opportunity to discuss their concerns - and indeed their experiences - as well as share their ideas and suggestions on how things could be enhanced.
“I can confirm the chair has established a sub-committee in the board - an assurance of oversight committee - to actually review the recommendations and to make sure they are implemented and to be able to monitor progress in that regard.
“Work to develop the improvement plan is under way and will be brought back to the board in the very near future when we will discuss the report in public and the improvement implementation plan once I have actually had some time to involve staff in ED (Emergency Department), staff side and indeed my senior managers within the SLT (Senior Leadership Team) and CMT (Corporate Management Team).”
Ms McCusker thanked Mrs Cowan for the update and told board members there would be an extraordinary board meeting on August 6 where the external review report and the work that will be continuing until then will be presented at that meeting for “full review.”
