More than 100 victims of bullying in NHS Highland speak up

After four senior doctors raised issues about a 'culture of bullying' within NHS Highland last month, more than 100 victims have spoken up.

The four senior doctors, along with the GMB, BMA, and other medical staff are calling for a fully independent public inquiry to be held by the Scottish Government.

The latest press conference heard from GMB rep Gavin Smith, Dr Alistair Todd, Dr Iain Kennedy, and Dr Chris Williams.

Dr Iain Kennedy, a GP in Inverness, said: 'People have actually told us they will only come forward if there's a public inquiry. We believe people can retain their anonyminity in a public inquiry but it is required to give confidence that something will actually be happening.

'Many victims have already publically come forward already and they have suffered gravely for doing so. And they don't want to go through that pain again or to experience what others have experienced.'

GMB Scotland rep Gavin Smith said: 'We are not prepared to settle this in-house. The track record in the past is not good for dealing with these issues which is why people have gone about it this way this time, because we need something concrete to come out the other end because staff deserve better than this.'

Dr Chris Williams, a GP in Grantown on Spey, said: 'The systems that are in place are not sufficient to take things forward. We know some very serious cases of people out there who say they have things to say but the circumstances aren't right for them to come forward.'

The GMB Scotland is proposing ACAS input to identify the steps for an Independent Inquiry.

In a statement the four whistleblowers said: 'As a gesture of goodwill, and to show our willingness to open a constructive dialogue, we have agreed to an informal, non-minuted confidential meeting with a number of senior medical managers in NHS Highland on the evening of 30th October.

The Board of NHS Highland called for progress after a meeting on 23 October and gave the following statement:

'We all joined the board of NHS Highland because we care very much about the NHS and the services we provide for the people of the Highlands. It feels like NHS Highland is being publicly torn apart, with little right of reply.

'For the sake of all of our staff and the people we serve we feel this cannot continue in this way. Our offer to meet the four clinicians remains open and we hope others will speak up and we urge that to happen as a matter of urgency.

'For the four doctors to make a public claim that ‘a thread of cruelty has purposefully been spun throughout NHS Highland’ simply cannot go unchallenged.

'We feel sure that everyone who cares about the NHS will share the view that our patients, staff and public deserve better and we are calling on everyone to make their voice heard.'