NHS Highland has approved a ‘healing’ process for hundreds of staff who suffered bullying at work.

The initiative will enable former and current health board employees to access a team of external advisors including human resources, legal, communications and mediation specialists.

The launch date for the process – described as a “milestone moment” – will be discussed at the end of May to allow for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The scale of bullying at NHS Highland was uncovered by the Sturrock review last year, which found widespread evidence staff were treated inappropriately and senior management often failed to respond.

A separate investigation into bullying and workplace culture in Argyll & Bute health services is also underway.

Brian Devlin, on behalf of the whistleblowers and the group No More Victims, which co-produced the healing process plan, said: “I recognise that all attention is rightly focussed on coronavirus today and I’m conscious of the heroic efforts NHS Highland staff are putting in to treat patients.

“Nevertheless, this is a milestone moment in NHS Highland for another reason. Today they have shared their document outlining the Healing Process for the hundreds of staff who have been injured as a consequence of being bullied at work.
 
“From the start the whistleblowers have repeated two demands:  psychological support for those who have been harmed and financial settlement for those whose careers have been terminated due to bullying in the organisation. Today we see the results of their efforts. And very welcome they are too.”

Mr Devlin said developing the process had involved a group of victims who “suffered enormously” from being bullied.

He added: “With the guidance of health minister, Jeane Freeman MSP, we have a process that I am confident victims can trust when it officially launches - once things have changed for the better with the pandemic.”

NHS Highland is encouraging anyone impacted by bullying and harassment to visit a holding page on an independent website to help them decide whether or not they may wish to access the healing process before it is launched.

Professor Boyd Robertson, chair of NHS Highland, said: “This is a very significant milestone in the Board's response to the recommendations in the Sturrock Report published last May.

“As I said in the summer, when we set out to develop our Healing Process, I and the whole Board, stand four-square behind the victims of bullying and we reaffirm that we are deeply sorry for the harm that has been caused to each one of those individuals.”