Isles Health Chief Suspended Over CV

The chief executive of a crisis-hit health board has been suspended over alleged discrepancies in his CV.

In recent years NHS Western Isles has been dogged by controversy after a series of senior staff members have either resigned or been sacked amid claims of mismanagement and bullying.
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Now another “senior member of staff” had been suspended from the Stornoway-based body on full pay pending an internal investigation.

The board has refused to name the individual involved, but insiders say it is Laurence Irvine, who became chief executive in January.

There are growing fears the latest development could spark calls for the Scottish Government to disband the troubled island health board and merge it with NHS Highland.

It is believed the suspension follows a freedom of information request from within the board for the CV Irvine presented with his job application.

When he was hired the health board said he had previously been unit general manager of Barnet and Edgware General Hospitals before becoming chief executive of Wellhouse NHS Trust in London, and was a fellow of the Institute of Healthcare Management.

A health board spokeswoman said the suspension was a “neutral act”, adding: “It would be inappropriate to comment further until that investigation has been completed.”

A high profile review of the health authority, due out tomorrow, has been delayed as a result of the suspension.

Following discussions with the Government and health officials, the board’s annual review, which was to be chaired by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, has been put back.

Sturgeon, who was due to visit Stornoway tomorrow, said she was “disappointed” by the latest development.

Stornoway councillor Keith Dodson said: “There seems to have been a catalogue of problems in recent times and there is a general feeling of ‘here we go again’.

“We are really worried that this may eventually lead to us losing our health board and having the services merged with those in the Highlands.”

In February 2004 Murdo MacLennan was suspended as chief executive of the Western Isles Health Board pending a disciplinary hearing into allegations of his “dysfunctional” management. He was sacked the following month.

Last January David Tierney, a project director with 32 years’ service in the NHS, was dismissed after writing of his concerns about mismanagement and bullying to a non-executive board member.

The allegations persisted and Andy Kerr, then Health Minister, sent in a management task force to take control, claiming he would tolerate no more “nonsense” from the board.

Soon afterwards, chairman David Currie, chief executive Dick Manson, and medical director Dr John Smith all left the organisation.

An earlier vote by staff showed they no longer had confidence in the three managers.