NHS Highland has welcomed the recent announcement from the Scottish Government that the Health Board has been de-escalated again on the NHS Scotland national performance framework following improvements in governance, leadership and culture.
Escalation measures were initially put in place in 2018 due to concerns about Board governance and culture but the progress the Board has made on these and other fronts has now led to de-escalation from Stage 4 to Stage 3 in 2021 and from Stage 3 to Stage 2 this year. The de-escalation means the Health Board has moved from needing external support to having a local recovery plan in place with advice and support available centrally if necessary.
Professor Boyd Robertson, Chair of NHS Highland, welcomed the announcement and the increased level of confidence the Scottish Government has in the Board and paid tribute to everyone in the organisation for the part they have played in making this possible. He said: “This is gratifying recognition of the commitment and endeavour that has gone into securing improvement in each of these areas so far, and reflects the fact that we have a clear roadmap to further progress. Every organisation should constantly strive to improve its culture, leadership and governance and we will continue to focus on developing these fundamentals.
“I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard during what has been an extremely challenging time for healthcare services. We could not have done this without the input from those who came forward as part of the Sturrock Review and the commitment from everyone in Highland and Argyll and Bute to deliver the changes we needed to make.”