A once-secret report which said that dozens of hospital patients were left on trolleys and wheelchairs for hours has been leaked online by an MSP.
The inspection report of care at Ninewells hospital in Dundee was shelved by Health Improvement Scotland in November last year. Another version was released but with the extent of some of the problems redacted.
The original report stated that 35 patients were left on trolleys and wheelchairs for as long as six hours while waiting for a bed over an afternoon and evening. The final copy merely stated that "some" patients were left waiting for a bed.
Labour MSP Jenny Marra has now published the original report on the internet to allow the public to compare it with the officially-released version.
She said: "I've taken the decision to publish this report to ensure that patients, families and the public can see what has been said about Ninewells by the independent inspectors. I've taken this step reluctantly after both Alex Salmond and the Cabinet Secretary for Health have refused to use their powers to publish the report.
"On Wednesday, the inspectorate published the NHS Tayside's official response to the original report and a letter making corrections to the report. But the report wasn't published.
"Such is the public interest that it only makes sense that all the documents are available together for the public to make up their own minds. If Healthcare Improvement Scotland want to enter a new era of transparency and accountability, it makes sense that all this information is available together.
"No health authority should be afraid of having light shone upon their work. It is in the interest of patients and NHS staff that inspections are published on time and under due process. This did not happen for Ninewells. A cover-up should not be allowed to happen again."
