RADIOGRAPHERS who launched a mass grievance over claims of bullying and harassment in NHS Ayrshire have been left furious after bosses refused to release a final report on the investigation.

Staff were originally told they would be provided copies by March 4 at the latest, but have now been told they must wait at least 10 weeks.

The health board claims it is following legal advice, but the Society of Radiographers trade union has accused bosses of making excuses and "sitting on" an embarrassing report.

It is now seeking its own legal guidance to find out if it can force NHS Ayrshire and Arran to publish it sooner amid fears of further delay.

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The trade union is also calling for the urgent reinstatement of its staff rep, Fiona Ferguson, whose case triggered the collective grievance lodged in April 2019 by 85 radiographers at Crosshouse and Ayr hospitals.

Ms Ferguson, a radiographer at Crosshouse, was signed of sick with stress in April last year, just weeks after returning to work following nine months of leave for breast cancer treatment.

She had been threatened with disciplinary action over allegations she had been "aggressive and disrespectful" - something she denies - in voicing members' concerns about proposed changes to CT scanning during a meeting with managers.

When her sick leave expired she was placed on paid 'special leave', but nearly a year on has not been told when she can return to work.

Deborah Shepherd, the Society of Radiographers' national officer for Scotland, said: "It's an outrage. She's been out of the building now for the best part of two years.

"She had nine months off for cancer treatment and she was back a week when this kicked off.

"Two weeks later she ended up off sick with stress because of how she's been treated, then she was put on special leave when they realised what they'd done was horrific.

"To be fair to John Burns, he has apologised about that but he's done nothing to get her back in the building."

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The collective grievance claimed that staff at Crosshouse felt "intimidated, scared to speak up for fear of retribution", that certain managers "adopt a passive aggressive approach in all dealings with staff", and that grievance processes were handled in a way that would "marginalise and isolate individuals from colleagues".

In Ayr, radiography staff were "increasingly frustrated at micromanagement" and complained there was "a lack of compassion" when personal circumstances, such as bereavement, impacted on work.

Ms Shepherd said members had been moved to speak out after "years of bullying, harassment and victimisation" , adding that she knew of at least two members of staff driven to the brink of suicide by work pressures and others "making themselves ill".

An external review was commissioned by NHS Ayrshire and Arran and carried out by independent HR consultants.

Their final report and recommendations, based on extensive interviews with staff, were submitted to chief executive John Burns on February 19.

It is understood that two managers have now been suspended, pending disciplinary hearings, as a result of the findings.

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Ms Shepherd said she had been told that this was one of the reasons health board bosses believed they could not share the report, as they feared it could unduly influence the evidence of any radiographers called as witnesses at the managers' hearings.

However, the two suspended managers will get advance copies.

Ms Shepherd said: "It's clearly preposterous that these members can't see a report about their own complaint, but the managers implicated in the grievance will get to see it before them.

"How they think that a report written on the back of our radiographers' evidence could then influence these same radiographers' giving evidence in a hearing is completely absurd.

"The employer wants us in a position to rebuild trust, but they won't give us a report. They're sitting on it - withholding it.

"My members are not best chuffed, let's put it that way. But they're still really scared that they don't have an end to this."

She added that radiographers were also worried the report could be delayed even further if either of the managers took sick leave, postponing disciplinary proceedings.

Staff were invited to briefing sessions led by Mr Burns on February 26 to discuss the report's recommendations, but Ms Shepherd said this focused on operational issues such as rostering and pay protection - not workplace culture.

She said: "The problem NHS Ayrshire has is exactly what they've shown this past week: they've decided what needs to be done with no discussion with anyone else, on the basis of evidence that only they can see, and they're telling people 'this is what needs to change'.

"It's the same top down management that caused the problems in the first place."

Chief executive John Burns said: "On receipt of a collective staff grievance, NHS Ayrshire and Arran established a three stage process. The first stage was to commission an independent process to understand staff concerns, and make recommendations if specific matters needed investigated formally under Board policy.

"A formal investigation process is now being established and it would be inappropriate for NHS Ayrshire & Arran to comment on the detail of this.

"Staff who raised concerns have been advised that they will receive a copy of the report when this formal investigation concludes, as to do this sooner would be unfair and prejudice the investigation process.

"Four staff briefing sessions were held on Wednesday 26 February to share the report’s recommendations, explain the next steps and confirm the immediate priorities for action that will be progressed."