Correspondence regarding 2018 Independent Inquiry into NHST Mental Health services

Information requested

1. In correspondence 202100/158515, you asked for copies of all correspondence between NHS Tayside, NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government on the matters pertaining to the commissioning of the 2018 Independent Inquiry into NHST Mental Health services.

2. In correspondence 202100/168460, you asked “Why did the Scottish Government allow a non ‘impartial & independent’ body, Dundee University, to run this ‘independent’ investigation? And why is the head appointee by Dundee University not a qualified mental health professional?. With Scottish Government approval?

Response

1. We understood the request in correspondence 202100/158515 to mean correspondence leading up to the commissioning of the Review. I attach copies of the information you requested which relate to correspondence received from NHS Tayside and details of meetings attended by the Scottish Government and NHS Tayside

Annex 1: Copy of Agenda from NHS Tayside Transformation Programme Update meeting on 5 March 2018, attended by members of NHS Scotland, NHS Tayside and Scottish Government . Some information redacted under section 38 of FOISA Guidance; Personal Information.

Annex 2: Copy of Tracker from NHS Tayside Transformation Programme Update Meeting on 5 March 2018, with all actions.

Annex 3: Copy of Tracker from NHS Tayside Transformation Programme Update Meeting on 5 March 2018, with outstanding actions.

Annex 4: Email and Attachment from NHS Tayside with Draft Governance Statement, 20 June 2018. Some information in email redacted under section 38 of FOISA Guidance; Personal Information. Some information in Draft Governance Statement and draft letter of issues of wider significance redacted as not relevant to scope of the request.

Annex 5: Email and Press Release from NHS Tayside on 30 May 2018

Annex 6: Email and Press Release from NHS Tayside on 1 June 2018

Annex 7: Email and Press Release from NHS Tayside on 10 July 2018

Annex 8: Email between NHS Tayside and Scottish Government regarding scope of the Independent Inquiry. Some information redacted as not within scope of the request and under section 38 of FOISA Guidance; Personal Information

2. In response to your question in correspondence 202100/168460, John Brown, then Chairman of NHS Tayside and Malcolm Wright, then Chief Executive of NHS Tayside, announced on Friday 4 May 2018 that they were commissioning an independent inquiry into mental health services.

David Strang was appointed Chair of the Independent Inquiry on 10 July 2018. The process to select the Chair was convened by Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland and was advised by the Tayside Stakeholder Participation Group (SPG) representing patients, families and carer groups in Tayside.

The Scottish Government did not intervene in this process. However, due to Dr David Strang’s former role as the Chief Inspector of the Prison Service, the Scottish Government agreed that he had the right skills to be able to undertake a review of this scale; and the fact that he was not involved in the delivery of mental health services provided assurance of his independence.

When the Inquiry was announced in Parliament on 9 May 2018 the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Shona Robison confirmed that she had received assurances from the chair of NHS Tayside, John Brown, that the inquiry would be independent, open and transparent. Parliament was also told that should the NHS Tayside-commissioned inquiry be hindered in its undertaking by either non-cooperation by providers or by lacking appropriate independence, the Scottish Government should subsequently convert it to an inquiry under the auspices of the Inquiries Act 2005.

Denise Jackson, Deputy Director of the Library and Learning Centre at The University of Dundee was seconded to the Independent Inquiry in August 2018 to provide secretariat support. More details are available on the Independent Inquiry ‘about us’ pages . For further information on the commissioning process, the Scottish Government advises contacting NHS Tayside directly.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI - 202100158515 - Information released

File type

15 page PDF

File size

888.8 kB