NHS Tayside chiefs are being called back before a Scottish Parliament committee to set out more clearly their plans for tackling a massive financial black hole facing the authority.
Earlier this month, top figures came under intense scrutiny over the financial management of NHS Tayside and their plans for meeting savings targets of over £200 million in the next five years.
They were put under the microscope at a meeting in Dundee by members of the Scottish Parliament’s public audit and post legislative scrutiny committee, with repeated questioning of the leading figures over whether they retained the support and trust of their employees to achieve the required savings.
The board’s budgeting was described as “hand to mouth” by former Scottish health secretary Alex Neil.
However, NHS Tayside chief executive Lesley McLay defended bonus payments made to senior figures including herself and finance director Lindsay Bedford as part of a performance-related bonus payout to more than 60 executives totalling £87,000 last year.
Mr McLay and Mr Bedford were among the senior figures evaluated as having operated at a “fully acceptable” standard and were sanctioned bonuses on top of their salaries by the National Evaluation Committee as a result.
Committee convener, Dundee MSP Jenny Marra said: “The audit committee is not satisfied with the answers we heard from NHS Tayside about the major financial challenges facing the board.
“Despite reassurances from the board chair and the chief executive that cumulative savings targets of £214 million can be met without affecting health services and jobs, it is still unclear to the committee exactly how they will achieve this.
“This is why the committee has written today to NHS Tayside to request detail of its financial plan for the next five years.”
Ms Marra added: “We will take further evidence from NHS Tayside and the chief executive of NHS Scotland in advance of the new financial year so the public in Tayside can understand what agreements have been reached between NHS Tayside and the Scottish Government on how the financial situation will be resolved without impacting health services and jobs.”
A firm date for the crunch meeting is yet to be set, but is expected to be around early March.
