An island councillor has called on the Scottish government to probe NHS Western Isles over an alleged "culture of evasion” and systemic management failures actively endangering island residents.
Calling for an independent public inquiry, Kenneth MacLean, Councillor for Barraigh agus Bhatarsaigh, has submitted a formal dossier of his findings to MSPs entitled “Nothing to See: Evading Accountability and the Deadly Consequences,” following years of investigation into the health board’s practices.
Cllr MacLean argues that the current situation is untenable and requires urgent intervention from the Scottish government.
He is calling on the Scottish government to launch a high-level investigation into the board’s leadership. Cllr MacLean states: “The only appropriate response from the Scottish government would be an independent, public inquiry into the working environment within WI NHS, with a focus on the top levels of management.”
He further insists on a separate investigation to identify patients who should have been protected by “Duty of Candour” (DoC) procedures—a legal requirement for health organisations to be open when things go wrong—but were instead ignored.
A primary concern raised is the statistical anomaly in the WI NHS’s reporting of unintended incidents. Cllr MacLean points out that the board has a “statistically significantly low figure of reported incidents” compared to neighbouring boards like Orkney and Shetland.
The Barra and Vatersay councillor alleges that the WI NHS failed to produce legally required annual DoC reports for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 periods.
He notes: “WI NHS have failed to set out a legally required annual report for two years consecutively, setting a dangerous precedent”
He claims to personally know of several instances that should have triggered these procedures, but were never officially recorded.
The councillor also highlights a toxic working environment, claiming that staff and independent practitioners have been subjected to “institutional abuse” and bullying by management.
He suggests that a former independent GP and a local dentist were forced out of their roles after challenging senior management.
Cllr MacLean observes: “This is clearly not an environment conducive to transparency. This can only lead to a worse and more dangerous health service for both patients and staff”
He further alleges that councillors have been warned they would receive “legally threatening letters” if they questioned the health board’s actions.
Reflecting on these accounts, Cllr MacLean writes: “I believe the health and lives of people in these islands are being endangered... due to what I believe constitutes neglect, failure to meet routine and emergency needs, abuse of staff, and a culture of evasion”
The Barra councillor states that the health board is currently operating without sufficient accountability and demands MSPs take urgent action.
“Health is too important a matter to be subject to the inefficient rule of an individual health board, without oversight,” says Cllr MacLean.
He further stresses that the “truth—to which patients and families should have full and fair access” must be uncovered to prevent further “unnecessary hurt”.
Image content - CnES
