Controversial conditions for RBS scanner dropped

The Royal Bank of Scotland has removed a condition privileging its employees with 25 per cent usage of the first class heart scanner it donated to Queen’s Medical Research Institute in Edinburgh last year.

The scanner, the first of its kind in the UK and one of the first in Europe, is part of a new imaging centre being developed with the University of Edinburgh aimed to research illnesses such as heart disease.

In a letter to independent MSP Margo MacDonald, who called for a debate on the implications of the scanner’s conditions, RBS chief executive Stephen Hester said he hoped the move would send the message "to staff, customers and the wider public that RBS know we have work to do to rebuild trust and respect and we mean to do it."

He continued: “We realise that we are in a particularly privileged position to have the security of the support of the UK taxpayer while we restructure the company. We also know that we enjoy this because of our central role in the economy and society. With that role come responsibilities that we intend to fulfil in every way."

Many critics of the original clause, which would have seen RBS staff having access to the technology for a quarter of its operational time, claimed that the conditions attached gave an unfair advantage to a small minority.

Howevever, Mr Hester added: "In the case of the scanner you mention it has struck me that this was a well-intentioned endeavour by a company that has always sought to be, and is, as good a corporate citizen as possible. That said I agree with you that this initiative carries with it attendant and unnecessary complications.”

He added: "How we do business will be every bit as important as the business we do."

Professor James Barbour, Chief Executive of NHS Lothian, said that he believed that the decision was good news:

"We are delighted that all of the capacity of this new scanner will now be available to patients right across Scotland."

“This state-of-the-art scanner will give patients access to one of the world's most advanced diagnostic facilities and is part of our commitment in NHS Lothian to provide world-class services for our patients."

Despite concerns over the 25 per cent clause, NHS Lothian's medical director Dr Charles Swainson has played down original conditions, saying that the scanner was not intended for NHS usage.

He said: "It's really important when you get something new like this to do the research properly to determine who will benefit from it in future. I'm quite clear that no NHS patient is going to be disadvantaged."

“This is not part of the NHS service. We've already got a perfectly good service for patients with heart disease, good current scanners and there are no waiting lists for people requiring investigations for heart disease."