
A recruitment drive for Scotland’s first ever Affected person Security Commissioner has failed for a second time.
MSPs handed a legislation creating the brand new unbiased public advocate for NHS sufferers in September final yr.
The primary spherical of interviews for the £89,685-a-year position in April failed to provide an acceptable candidate after which final month a second spherical of interviews noticed the popular individual then flip the job down.
Campaigners have described the newest delay as “extremely irritating”.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Parliament, which is dealing with the recruitment course of, mentioned the job can be re-advertised in 2025 after a evaluate of the position’s phrases and situations.
It’s understood this evaluate is not going to embody the wage.
Dr Henrietta Hughes was appointed as England’s affected person security commissioner in 2022.
Her position was created to look into the scandals surrounding the epilepsy drug sodium valproate, vaginal mesh implants and the being pregnant check Primodos.
It got here after a evaluate by Baroness Julia Cumberlege mentioned that too usually worries and complaints had been dismissed as “girls’s issues”.

Charlie Bethune, whose daughter’s well being has been affected from her publicity to sodium valproate, has been campaigning for the suggestions of the Cumberledge report back to be carried out in Scotland since they had been accepted in full by the Scottish authorities in 2020.
He mentioned: “It’s extremely irritating that after all of the work we, and different marketing campaign teams, put in to get the Affected person Security Commissioner Invoice by means of, that the parliament has taken so lengthy and been so unsuccessful in filling the submit.
“Whereas is significant that we get the proper individual appointed, having nobody in submit is a shame when there are such a lot of points at present which can be nonetheless unresolved and so many conditions the place affected person security and care should not being addressed by this authorities.
“A powerful unbiased voice is important.”
Phrases and situations evaluate
In the course of the first spherical of recruitment in April, a cross-party panel determined to not nominate any of the candidates and a contemporary spherical of interviews passed off within the autumn.
It’s understood that throughout each rounds of interviews so far, greater than 20 folks have put themselves ahead for the position – which is for a hard and fast time period of as much as eight years.
A Scottish Parliament spokesperson mentioned: “A cross get together panel of MSPs undertook a second, full open recruitment train for the brand new Affected person Security Commissioner for Scotland.
“Following interviews on 11 November, the panel recognized its most well-liked candidate, however they declined the job provide.
“The Scottish Parliament Company Physique has due to this fact agreed to evaluate the phrases and situations of the submit earlier than it re-advertises the position for a 3rd time within the new yr.”