- By Andrew Picken
- BBC Scotland News
Bosses at struggling well being boards are recurrently being handed ‘superior’ and ‘excellent’ efficiency value determinations, BBC Scotland can reveal.
The Scottish authorities has formal “oversight” of six NHS boards because of poor efficiency in areas comparable to finance and management.
But new knowledge exhibits many NHS executives are being given high appraisal marks that are then linked to pay rises.
The Scottish authorities stated govt value determinations are “robustly assessed”.
A spokesman added that bosses in a struggling board can nonetheless ship superior or excellent efficiency given the vary of particular person duties for executives within the NHS.
Appraisals of executives’ efficiency are carried out by a board’s remuneration committee and checked by a nationwide efficiency administration group.
The appraisal knowledge was launched to BBC Scotland below freedom of knowledge legal guidelines however with out revealing the person scores of executives at the well being boards.
Across all the boards which responded to the request, the vast majority of executives obtained ‘absolutely acceptable’ scores and no one’s efficiency was ranked as ‘unacceptable’.
The efficiency mark is linked to the potential pay will increase of executives, which final 12 months ranged from 0% for an unacceptable appraisal to 3% for an impressive one.
The knowledge covers a interval when the NHS was below intense strain because of the Covid pandemic.
Struggling well being boards with formal Scottish authorities oversight are also known as being in “special measures” however it is a time period utilized in England’s well being service.
In Scotland, well being boards are topic to the “NHS Board Performance Escalation Framework” which ranks from one to 5, with 5 being the worst, and it pertains to particular drawback areas.
Stage three and above is when the Scottish authorities formally places in place assist and oversight.
Appraisal scores for NHS boards with authorities oversight
- Ayrshire and Arran – Scottish ministers put in additional assist in 2018 as results of issues about monetary administration. At least one ‘superior’ and ‘excellent’ award was handed out in 2020/21 and the next 12 months.
- Borders – Has had oversight since 2018 for monetary administration points. In 2022, 5 of its nine-strong govt group obtained ‘superior’ value determinations.
- Forth Valley – Has had authorities oversight of its “governance, leadership and culture” since 2022 because of issues with out-of-hours companies and unscheduled care. The board’s remuneration committee awarded 9 executives in 2021/22 a ‘superior’ award, one the next 12 months and one in 2022/23.
- NHS Highland – Oversight throughout completely different areas since 2018. A complete of six ‘superior’ performances had been recorded in 2020/21 and 7 the next 12 months.
Image supply, NHS Forth Valley
An unbiased evaluation final 12 months raised issues about govt value determinations at NHS Forth Valley however the board stated work to “review and further strengthen” appraisal preparations has been carried out
Appraisal scores for NHS boards presently with out authorities oversight
- Greater Glasgow and Clyde – In 2020/21 4 executives obtained both a ‘superior’ or ‘excellent’ appraisal rating. This got here in a interval when the board was in “special measures” regarding an infection management procedures after the deaths of two kids at the town’s largest hospital.
- Lothian – At least one govt obtained a ‘superior’ rating yearly between 2020 and 2023, a interval when the board did have Scottish authorities oversight because of delays in opening the brand new Sick Kids hospital and failings in paediatric audiology companies.
- Fife – In 2021/22 and the next 12 months, a complete of six senior bosses obtained a ”superior’ appraisal award. At least one govt obtained ‘excellent’ in 2021/22.
- Lanarkshire – The board with essentially the most ‘superior’ appraisal scores; a complete of 11 in 2020/21, 4 the subsequent 12 months and 5 in 2022/23.
- Grampian – At least one ‘superior’ or ‘excellent’ score was dished out in 2020/21.
NHS Tayside, which has Scottish authorities oversight of its psychological well being efficiency, and NHS Dumfries and Galloway refused to launch appraisal scores on the grounds it was private data.
A Scottish authorities spokesperson stated: “We are assured, through the National Performance Management Committee, that govt value determinations and rankings are robustly assessed by board remuneration committees.
“Given the vary of particular person duties of executives within the NHS, while a board could also be addressing challenges in efficiency in a selected space, executives inside that board can nonetheless be delivering superior or excellent efficiency inside the areas for which they’re accountable.”