Latest report on NHS Tayside

Ongoing work to stabilise finances, improve governance and change the way services are planned and managed at NHS Tayside has resulted in the board being reclassified to Stage 4 of the NHS Board Performance Escalation Framework.

The decision follows the latest update from the Assurance and Advisory Group (AAG) which was commissioned by Scottish Government to work with NHS Tayside to review the Board's plans for future healthcare and to support a return to a more sustainable financial future.

Health Secretary Jeanne Freeman said:

“I welcome this latest report from the AAG which demonstrates the progress that NHS Tayside continues to make in key areas. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Sir Lewis and his team for their ongoing work.

“I would also like to thank John Brown and Malcolm Wright who have stabilised finances, improved governance and changed the way services are planned and managed by putting clinicians at the heart of decision-making. On the basis of these encouraging results, it is the right time to bring NHS Tayside into line with other Boards in a similar position and re-designate it as Stage 4 in the Board Escalation Framework.

“However, this is just the start of the journey for the new Chief Executive Grant Archibald in making services the best they can be for patients of NHS Tayside. We will continue to work closely with the Board in achieveing its aims over the coming months and years.”

Chair of the AAG, Sir Lewis Ritchie said:

“It has been a real privilege to support the recovery of NHS Tayside and I am confident, from their progress to date, that they have a sound foundation for the improvements that are now required. I have worked with an excellent team, and I have been especially grateful to Caroline Lamb for her support in this phase of the process.”

Background

The NHS Board Performance Escalation Framework, graded on a scale of one to five, outlines the level at which a board is effectively operating.

In March 2017, an Assurance and Advisory Group (AAG) was commissioned by Scottish Government to work with NHS Tayside to review the Board's plans for future healthcare and to support a return to a more sustainable financial future.

In its Staging Report published in June, the Group set out 10 key recommendations to be taken forward in order to progress these plans. The 10 recommendations include key areas of focus around the development of a clinical strategy, robust financial planning, looking at our workforce now and for the future, and how we provide medicines.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-tayside-assurance-and-advisory-group-final-update