Timecapsule Interviews

There are about forty interviews with individuals who work on the Foresterhill site. For each interview there is a brief summary of the content of the interview and the full set of questions and answers. They are arranged them into groups of doctors, nurses and nurse managers, academics, allied health professionals, and support services.

Interview with Mr Ian Suttie

SC: Can you tell me a little bit about your background?

IS: I qualified as a chartered account in Aberdeen and I always saw that as a means to an end to get into some sort of management position in industry. I left Aberdeen and worked in Hastings for five years in the manufacture of audio equipment and colour televisions for what was the largest multinational in the world at that time, ITT. After five years, I came back to Aberdeen, and by that time the oil industry was on the move and I have been in the oil industry ever since. In 1988, I undertook a management buy out and I subsequently sold that business, after quite a number of additional businesses were bought and sold, in 2001 to a large American multinational. I decided then to cross the fence and start an oil company, which I still currently own, producing oil and gas.

SC: How did you get involved with the Matthew Hay Project?

IS: Well, I had known Professor Ron Keenan for some time, he introduced me to Sir Graeme Catto, and my wife and I were invited to look round the hospital, to see all the departments that were currently functioning and the ones that would be integrated into this new centre.

SC: What made you want to invest in this project?

IS: I think we were very impressed with the enthusiasm of the staff. The keenness for them to integrate into a building where they would meet all the time and I think that Ron Keenan was particularly enthusiastic. I remember asking him the question of whether this would put Aberdeen on the map in terms of recognition of what was being delivered here. He emphasised the fact that this would certainly be a centre of excellence and it would attract medics from all round the UK and the world for that matter, and I thought he was very keen to develope Aberdeen. I was just taken aback by the enthusiasm if you like and it sounded like a great idea so I ticked the box.

SC: Why should businessmen and women get involved in projects like this?

IS: I think if you've earned your money the hard way then you want to put back something into society and I think in today's climate you can't take your money with you and therefore it's far better to see live projects that you've managed to assist. There's a lot of reward in that actually.

SC: What do you think of the building?

IS: As far as I'm concerned, the building looks fantastic and I think it will have a significant impact on the site itself. As I understand it, the woodwork on the outside actually dulls down, I think, over time, apparently that's what happens, and I think it'll integrate well with the rest of the site. One thing in terms of the building itself, it looks very open and spacious. I think the fact that you are able to go out on top deck if you like, where actually a lot of it is open space, should make it an attractive venue for people to meet, so I'm very pleased with it.

SC: You are being preserved in the artwork in the new building. Can you tell me a little bit about that please?

IS: I don't know exactly about the science behind it but I was scanned top to bottom and that was quite nerve racking in a sense and then we were presented with a model of the result, which was just completely amazing how the artist has put all these plates in place, which effectively recognise your body shape. In fact, we got two models and I couldn't recognise which one was mine but my wife, for some unaccountable reason, recognised me. I'm not sure what she recognised but there we are. She said it was very life like.

SC: What does it feel like having a building named after you, as it's going to be called the Suttie Centre?

IS: It took me a long time to even accept that. None of my businesses, and I've owned lots of businesses, have ever been in my name. So I've quite taken to it actually. But it was something I wasn't accustomed to, it felt quite strange. But when people start talking about it then I think "Ooh, actually that's rather nice."

SC: What do your family think?

IS: They haven't been too involved with the project and I've tended not to allow them to be part of the wealth if you like. I try to keep them well grounded and to that extent they've had limited involvement. I think they think it's a nice gesture. I haven't really asked them the question properly!

SC: What do you think this building will mean for Aberdeen?

IS: Well, I suppose I go back to where I was with Professor Ron Keenan when he said the integration of the medical and the training, the fact that it would be a high profile centre and I hope it will attract, as he said, medical people from all round the world. Based on his recommendation anyway, there's nothing like it elsewhere so I thought that was an attractive proposition for Aberdeen.

SC: What do you think of the current NHS system in Scotland?

IS: I'm no expert on the NHS so I shouldn't really comment. I do feel that there should be more power to the middle management in the NHS. It seems to me, as an outsider looking in, that it's ruled from the top and I get the impression from talking to doctor friends that there's too much of that top level management, and I suspect that it would be far better if there was stronger middle management and more delegation down to that level.

SC: As a successful businessman, do you think the current NHS system is sustainable?

IS: Well I guess that's all about economics. I do question the message that it has to be fully funded by the government. I think it's a great service but I think it's time to move on and I think we could happily adopt some of what's happening elsewhere in the world where people who can afford it take out insurance and the NHS is serviced through that mechanism. Clearly, you have to look after the people that can't afford it and of course that's some of the issues say, in the USA, but we are past that and we can sort that out and I believe that the government could take on that obligation but why should the people that can afford it not afford it by simply paying insurance - that seems to be an economic way of dealing with it. The NHS is clearly a substantial cost to the nation and I just think there are better ways of dealing with it than simply having the government effectively taking care of all medical issues and I just think it's a burden too far really. Lots of people can afford it so why shouldn't they? It's not about two separate systems because I don't believe that is necessary. You all get the same system but those that can afford it should pay and those that can't afford it should get the subsidy. 

SC: What do you think are the biggest issues facing medicine at the moment?

IS: I suspect that it's the fact that people are living longer. Obviously, the longer people live the more of a "burden", they are to the state. That's going to be a significant problem going forward because there are going to be less people working and therefore paying their taxes. So I think that this is a burden that is going to have to be addressed at some time in the future. Now whether that is through taking the compulsory retirement age up from sixty to sixty-five up to eighty or ninety so that we can all pay our taxes enough to afford this system which is having to pay for everyone living longer I don't know but I think it's a significant issue and I suspect that all governments don't want to address it.  

SC: What do you think the NHS system in Scotland will be like in the future?

IS: I think it would be nice to think that Scotland could lead in some way. I suspect that that leadership might be as a separate entity or part of the UK that they might look at a different way of funding the NHS. Maybe you could do it more easily in a smaller estate, if you like.