News
By Andrew Picken
BBC Scotland News
Bosses at struggling health boards are on a frequent foundation being handed ‘superior’ and ‘outstanding’ performance worth determinations, BBC Scotland can demonstrate.
The Scottish executive has formal “oversight” of six NHS boards resulting from wretched performance in areas corresponding to finance and leadership.
But recent information presentations many NHS executives are being given top appraisal marks which are then linked to pay rises.
The Scottish executive said executive worth determinations are “robustly assessed”.
A spokesman added that bosses in a struggling board can light ship superior or outstanding performance given the fluctuate of individual duties for executives in the NHS.
A most modern review of senior management failings at NHS Forth Valley said it turned into as soon as “of area” that these problems – and the design they were being addressed by the board’s chairperson and chief executive – weren’t mirrored in the performance appraisal reviews of the individuals.
Price determinations of executives’ performance are conducted by a board’s remuneration committee and checked by a nationwide performance management neighborhood.
The appraisal information turned into as soon as launched to BBC Scotland below freedom of information licensed guidelines but without revealing the individual ratings of executives on the health boards.
All the design thru the entire boards which answered to the seek information from, the bulk of executives obtained ‘absolutely acceptable’ ratings and no-one’s performance turned into as soon as ranked as ‘unacceptable’.
The performance impress is linked to the possible pay increases of executives, which closing year ranged from 0% for an unacceptable appraisal to three% for an outstanding one.
The information covers a period when the NHS turned into as soon as below intense strain because of the the Covid pandemic.
Struggling health boards with formal Scottish executive oversight are veritably steadily known as being in “particular measures” but it is miles a term venerable in England’s health carrier.
In Scotland, health boards are area to the “NHS Board Performance Escalation Framework” which ranks from one to 5, with 5 being the worst, and it relates to direct disaster areas.
Stage three and above is when the Scottish executive formally locations in dwelling enhance and oversight.
Appraisal ratings for NHS boards with executive oversight
- Ayrshire and Arran – Scottish ministers set in further enhance in 2018 as consequence of concerns about financial management. No longer no longer as a lot as one ‘superior’ and ‘outstanding’ award turned into as soon as handed out in 2020/21 and the following year.
- Borders – Has had oversight since 2018 for financial management issues. In 2022, 5 of its nine-tough executive group obtained ‘superior’ worth determinations.
- Forth Valley – Has had executive oversight of its “governance, leadership and culture” since 2022 resulting from problems with out-of-hours companies and unscheduled care. The board’s remuneration committee awarded nine executives in 2021/22 a ‘superior’ award, one the following year and one in 2022/23.
- NHS Highland – Oversight all the design thru rather loads of areas since 2018. A total of six ‘superior’ performances were recorded in 2020/21 and 7 the following year.
Image source, NHS Forth Valley
An independent review closing year raised concerns about executive worth determinations at NHS Forth Valley but the board said work to “review and further reinforce” appraisal preparations has been conducted
Appraisal ratings for NHS boards currently without executive oversight
- Increased Glasgow and Clyde – In 2020/21 four executives obtained both a ‘superior’ or ‘outstanding’ appraisal rating. This came in a period when the board turned into as soon as in “particular measures” relating to infection relief a watch on procedures after the deaths of two children on the town’s largest medical institution.
- Lothian – No longer no longer as a lot as one executive obtained a ‘superior’ rating each year between 2020 and 2023, a period when the board did enjoy Scottish executive oversight resulting from delays in opening the recent Sick Formative years medical institution and failings in paediatric audiology companies.
- Fife – In 2021/22 and the following year, a total of six senior bosses obtained a ”superior’ appraisal award. No longer no longer as a lot as one executive obtained ‘outstanding’ in 2021/22.
- Lanarkshire – The board with the most ‘superior’ appraisal ratings; a total of 11 in 2020/21, four the next year and 5 in 2022/23.
- Grampian – No longer no longer as a lot as one ‘superior’ or ‘outstanding’ rating turned into as soon as dished out in 2020/21.
NHS Tayside, which has Scottish executive oversight of its psychological health performance, and NHS Dumfries and Galloway refused to release appraisal ratings on the grounds it turned into as soon as personal information.
NHS Orkney – which has executive oversight resulting from area over its financial management – NHS Shetland and NHS Western Isles said they’d well no longer release the information thanks to issues with presumably identifying the individual executives.
A Scottish executive spokesperson said: “We’re assured, by process of the Nationwide Performance Administration Committee, that executive worth determinations and ratings are robustly assessed by board remuneration committees.
“Given the fluctuate of individual duties of executives in the NHS, even as a board also can merely be addressing challenges in performance in a direct narrate, executives within that board can light be delivering superior or outstanding performance within the areas for which they are to blame.”
