The chairman of the NHS Fife board has said he wants more people to criticise local healthcare if it is justified.
Allan Burns has told The Courier criticism of the much-maligned health authority is a serious matter but is also an opportunity to improve the standard of care for patients.
He was speaking at NHS Fife’s annual review, where he also spoke of the problems the service faced in recruiting staff following reports that waiting times for patients in the region were soaring due to difficulties in hiring locums.
Having spoken in his presentation of his pride in working with NHS Fife, Mr Burns said criticism of the work of the service was something he took very seriously,
Asked if he took it personally, he said: “If it’s justified then no, but if it’s justified then it’s also a learning opportunity for us.
“I would actually like people to complain more. The more complaints that we get then the better we understand things and I wouldn’t view that as a negative.
“If it’s unjust then you feel like you’ve let somebody down in your community and that’s not positive nobody feels positive about that.”
The review at Dunfermline’s Queen Margaret Hospital was held before Health Secretary Alex Neil.
Before a packed audience, concerns over bed blocking, patient transport and coverage of healthcare services were all raised to Mr Neil and the board.
Staffing levels have also been a major source of concern for both the public and the board, with Mr Neil and Mr Burns stating efforts to find suitable staff had now gone international due to a shortage of homegrown candidates.
“The real problem that we face is that everybody is chasing the same people nationally and internationally.
“The Obama process in America is going to have 57,000 people involved so internationally there is a shortage. Part of the problem we’re going to have is sharing resources and how we make them available to do the things we need them to do.
“We have got a recruitment drive on at the moment and in Fife we need to convince people to come here because it’s a great place to live.
“We’re also working with St Andrews University to make these jobs more interesting as people want to work in interesting jobs. We need doctors and ways of attracting them.”
Following the review, Mr Neil said he was aware of the problems experienced by NHS Fife but he had seen progress during his time as Health Secretary.
He said: “When I came here two years ago there were major challenges, including the teething problems at the Victoria Hospital.
“I think that these have been largely addressed and we are now seeing significant progress.
“But there is still substantial progress to be made by working with Fife Council on integration issues. However, the ability to deliver the work that they do is fantastic.”