£90,000-a-year patient safety role remains unfilled

A recruitment drive for Scotland’s first ever Patient Safety Commissioner has failed for a second time.

MSPs passed a law creating the new independent public advocate for NHS patients in September last year.

The first round of interviews for the £89,685-a-year role in April failed to produce a suitable candidate and then last month a second round of interviews saw the preferred person then turn the job down.

Campaigners have described the latest delay as “incredibly frustrating”.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Parliament, which is handling the recruitment process, said the job would be re-advertised in 2025 after a review of the role’s terms and conditions.

It is understood this review will not include the salary.

Dr Henrietta Hughes was appointed as England’s patient safety commissioner in 2022.

Her role was created to look into the scandals surrounding the epilepsy drug sodium valproate, vaginal mesh implants and the pregnancy test Primodos.

It came after a review by Baroness Julia Cumberlege said that too often worries and complaints were dismissed as “women’s problems”.

Charlie Bethune, whose daughter’s health has been affected from her exposure to sodium valproate, has been campaigning for the recommendations of the Cumberledge report to be implemented in Scotland since they were accepted in full by the Scottish government in 2020.

He said: “It is incredibly frustrating that after all the work we, and other campaign groups, put in to get the Patient Safety Commissioner Bill through, that the parliament has taken so long and been so unsuccessful in filling the post.

“While is vital that we get the correct person appointed, having no one in post is a disgrace when there are so many issues currently that are still unresolved and so many situations where patient safety and care are not being addressed by this government.

“A strong independent voice is essential.”

During the first round of recruitment in April, a cross-party panel decided not to nominate any of the candidates and a fresh round of interviews took place in the autumn.

It is understood that across both rounds of interviews to date, more than 20 people have put themselves forward for the role – which is for a fixed term of up to eight years.

A Scottish Parliament spokesperson said: “A cross party panel of MSPs undertook a second, full open recruitment exercise for the new Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland.

“Following interviews on 11 November, the panel identified its preferred candidate, but they declined the job offer.

“The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body has therefore agreed to review the terms and conditions of the post before it re-advertises the role for a third time in the new year.”