WAR ON DRUGS BOGGED DOWN OVER SCANDAL

Head of health promotion body complains of smear campaign as volunteer
groups cry foul.

Bitter infighting has been exposed after a senior health executive claimed
she was the victim of a smear campaign.

Louie MacAllan, chief executive of the Health Promotions Agency, an
offshoot of Grampian Health Board, said people were trying to exploit her
marriage to Frank Hartnett, the board's general manager, to damage her
professional reputation.

Allegations of nepotism have also been circulating after it emerged that
her daughters, Katie and Kara, temporarily worked for the agency, which
uses both public and private funds to provide health advice across Grampian.

The row comes as volunteer drugs counselling groups in Aberdeen, known as
Scotland's heroin capital, accuse the official drugs agencies of trying to
take over their work.

Senior politicians in the area have now become involved. Alex Salmond, the
SNP leader and MP for Banff and Buchan, said: "I know there has been
infighting and I would appeal for it to stop so that people can focus on
reducing the problem of drug use in these communities."

MacAllan, 50, has played a prominent part in influencing Grampian Health
Board's strategy in her role at the health promotions agency, the only unit
of its kind in the UK.

Yesterday she said: "We have nothing to hide. Both Frank and I are in
prominent positions and because I'm outspoken I have made a lot of enemies
and there are people out there with grudges."

She added that some people also resented successful women and chose to
ignore their abilities and pinpoint their sexuality as the reasons behind
their success. "We both realise that this is something we have to put up
with and we have adopted special procedures to avoid Frank having any input
into my organisation," she added.

These involve Hartnett delegating decisions on budgets and strategy for
health promotions to his deputy and the board's director of public health.

MacAllan maintained she had no interest or involvement in the health
board's current plans to revamp drugs treatment strategy in Grampian which
have sparked a messy 'turf war' with volunteer self-help groups.

One of the groups is Grampian Addiction Problem Services in Banff and
Buchan, set up by Janice Jess. Her organisation counselled more than 1,000
drug addicts in towns such as Fraserburgh and Peterhead last year.

Jess left MacAllan's Health Promotions Agency after an argument over policy
and fears the health board plans to try and close her volunteer effort down.

She maintains workers for the official drugs agency, Aberdeen Drugs Action,
had "no street credibility" and no grasp of Buchan's unique problem.

She has raised the issue of MacAllan's connections in letters to Salmond,
Scottish Office health minister Sam Galbraith and Labour leader Tony Blair,
and is calling for a public inquiry into Grampian Health Board.

The SNP leader said he had not yet read the letter but could vouch for
Janice Jess's credibility.

Yesterday, MacAllan said she would welcome a Scottish Office inquiry into
the running of the Health Promotions Agency. Grampian Health Board have
already called in accountants Cooper & Lybrand to check recruitment and
selection procedures to ensure they were not being abused.

The recent independent audit, which the board says was routine, found that
though MacAllan had to approve formally the appointment of staff, the
decision as to whether or not a job had to be filled or a new position
created was left to individual health promotions programme managers.
MacAllan's role was largely supervisory.

The accountants also concluded the recruitment procedures were in line with
those used by the board, which have been approved by the Scottish Office.