AN EXECUTIVE appointed to oversee the merger of health and social care in Edinburgh has quit days before a major milestone which will see computer systems overhauled and hundreds of extra staff brought on board.
The Herald understands Robert McCulloch-Graham, chief officer of Edinburgh's Health and Social Care Partnership, was pushed to resign amid concerns that key performance targets were being missed. He has been in the post less than two years.
His sudden departure deals a blow to the integration project which is designed to ensure that NHS and council elderly care budgets can remain sustainable in the face of Scotland's ageing population.
It comes after reports this summer revealed that plans to cut bed blocking in Edinburgh by the end of the year are well off target, with spending by the NHS Lothian on care services also running at around £1 million a month over budget in April and May this year.
It also coincides with a crucial new phase in the capital's integration process, with new computer systems going live from Monday and healthcare workers including nurses and physiotherapists due to be based within council teams for the first time starting next week.
Mr McCulloch-Graham will be replaced on an interim basis for the next six months by his colleague Michelle Miller, the chief social work officer for Edinburgh HSCP.
Ricky Henderson, a Labour councillor for the Pentland Hills ward and chair of Edinburgh HSCP, confirmed that Mr McCulloch-Graham "has left the post of chief officer".
He added: "The recruitment process to identify a permanent replacement will begin immediately. I would like to thank Rob for his contribution and wish him well in his future career.
“Michelle brings a wealth of experience and a level of continuity which will be important as we work to bring Edinburgh’s health and social care services together.”
Mr McCulloch-Graham, a former maths and science teacher, was appointed in October 2015 off the back of his success in bringing together health and social care services in the borough of Tower Hamlets in London.
However, he has been plagued in recent months by a series of damning reports highlighting flaws with health and social care delivery.
In May, a report by the Care Inspectorate warned that staff shortages meant older people were "unable to get help unless their needs were critical". The inspectors rated health and social care services across Edinburgh as either "weak" or "unsatisfactory" in five out of nine quality indicators, with the remaining four categories found to be "adequate".
Delayed discharges from hospital for patients over-65 were also "substantially poorer than the national average" due to a shortage of care home places or home care provision, with spending on emergency admissions for the same age group also higher than average.
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