Health Secretary refuses to discuss "fundamental differences" which forced NHS Lothian chair's resignation

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said she was not going to get into a public "tit for tat" debate

HEALTH Secretary Jeane Freeman has refused to discuss the “fundamental differences” which the chair of NHS Lothian claimed had forced him to resign from running the Capital’s crisis-hit health board.

Brian Houston quit last week, citing “fundamental and irreconcilable differences” with Ms Freeman, claiming there was a “blame culture” in the NHS and accusing the Scottish Government of underfunding NHS Lothian.

Chief executive Tim Davison had announced just over a week earlier that he would be retiring in August.

The new Sick Kids Hospital was due to open in July but has now been delayed until autumn this year

The departures come amid continuing concerns about the unopened Sick Kids Hospital and after the board was put into “special measures”.

Opposition politicians challenged Ms Freeman in the Holyrood chamber over the situation.

Edinburgh Western Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “NHS Lothian is in crisis, we have a Sick Kids hospital with no sick kids and repayments standing at £1.4m a month. Elsewhere we have patients waiting more than a year to be discharged and children waiting up to two years for mental health treatment.”

And Labour’s Monica Lennon asked what steps had been taken to look into Mr Houston’s claims.

But Ms Freeman said she did not accept NHS Lothian was in crisis and told MSPs she was not going to “rehearse in public” conversations she had had with health board chairs.

She said: “I have no intention of going through point by point what Mr Houston has expressed as his views. Suffice it to say he has resigned, I have accepted his resignation and plans are in process to appoint an interim chair for NHS Lothian and begin the formal appointment process through the public appointments procedure for a full-time chair.”

Edinburgh Southern Labour MSP Daniel Johnson pressed her further, claiming her refusal to explain the resignation “simply isn't good enough”.

He said: “We have a health board in special measures, a hospital costing £1.4m a month which cannot open. It is in the public interest to understand what this fundamental difference of opinion is.”

But Ms Freeman insisted: “I’m not going to get into a public tit for tat debate with Mr Houston about what he put in his resignation letter. It is entirely inappropriate to do so.

“My view, as Cabinet Secretary, is I expect leadership across our NHS to accept proper accountability for the failures and decisions and action and performance of individual boards, just as I accept accountability overall for how the NHS is performing.

“If any leader does not accept that accountability, does not agree that is part of their role, that is a situation where we are not going to productively continue to work together. Other than that, there is nothing more I intend to say about this resignation.”

Lothian Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said the matters raised by Mr Houston went to “the heart of accountability” and said parliament should have answers.

But Ms Freeman claimed to have a public discussion of confidential matters would damage her relationships with other health board chairs.

“Short of repeating what I have already said, there is nothing more to say.”