The father of a young suicide victim has called for NHS Tayside’s chief executive’s “head to roll” after publication of a damning report into his son’s care.
Malcolm Nichol, 48, from Forfar, said he felt “vindicated, but still angry” after the health board was ordered to undertake an urgent review of its systems for the care of at-risk patients.
The findings relating to a string of complaints he made in the wake of the death of his son Scott in summer 2010.
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has ordered NHS Tayside to issue a written apology to Mr Nichol for failings identified in a near 30-page report into the case, alongside nine recommendations for an urgent review of processes aimed at supporting vulnerable people and avoiding them slipping through the net.
Scott endured a chaotic lifestyle, becoming hooked on drink and drugs in his early teens and eventually ending up in the care of the Carseview psychiatric unit adjacent to Ninewells hospital. He took his own life in the grounds of Baldovan House near Dundee in July 2010, aged 22, one of several young male suicide victims around that time.
NHS Tayside last night said it had already implemented a number of the recommendations the ombudsman has said must be completed within three months but Mr Nichol has refused to rule out legal action.
The ombudsman’s recommendations centre on areas including clinical observation practice, discharge procedures and a call to ensure that steps are taken to remain in contact with patients who have a history of missed appointments.
In Scott’s case, the report highlighted one letter taking more than six weeks to be dictated after he was discharged from hospital.
“I feel very angry, and I feel vindicated,” Mr Nichol said. “When I first complained they told me that they did everything right for Scott. I’m not a doctor or a psychiatrist but I knew as a father that they had not.
“Gerry Marr was chief operating officer at the time and I was told that a meeting with all the people involved in Scott’s care had taken place and everything had been done by the book. Either he has lied to me, his staff have lied to him or they didn’t know what they were talking about. But I think as CEO his head should roll for it.”
The Angus Council worker said legal action remains a possibility.
“It’s not about money,” he said. “No amount of money will bring Scott back. But I am angry that the people who were supposed to look after Scott may not get taken up for what happened.
“If I went out in my car and killed someone I would end up in jail. I cannot get the people who were supposed to look after Scott into court, but they are part of the reason that he died.”
An NHS Tayside spokesman said: “The board has accepted the recommendations in the report and will act on them accordingly. A number of these have already been implemented and actions are under way in relation to the remaining recommendations.
“We know that every suicide has a profound impact on relatives and friends. That is why we are committed to working with Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross councils, Police Scotland and voluntary organisations under the banner of Choose Life to improve our collective understanding of the issues involved in suicide.”