Top SA Health bureaucrat Lesley Dwyer to leave in November after board decision

Central Adelaide Local Health Network boss Professor Lesley Dwyer will leave the jobs when her contract ends in November after the board felt “there is more to be done.”

Top SA Health bureaucrat Lesley Dwyer will leave the job later this year after five years as chief executive of the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN).

CALHN board chair Raymond Spencer says the board and Prof Dwyer came to a decision “that Lesley will not continue in the role after the end of her contract in November.”

The decision not to renew the lucrative contract follows a tumultuous time at the top under Liberal and Labor governments.

This included major responsibilities during the worst of the pandemic, controversial reforms under consultants KordaMentha to cut costs and increase efficiency and an order for consultants to fast track discharges to free up beds which was later dumped.

There was also a summit followed by an action plan in 2019 which Prof Dwyer said at the time aimed to make “routine ramping across CALHN a thing of the past.” It has subsequently hit record levels.

As the state’s largest local health network with a staff of round 14,000 and a budget of around $2bn CALHN covers the RAH, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hampstead Rehabilitation Hospital and Glenside Health Services.

Royal Adelaide Hospital, part of CALHN. Picture: Matt Loxton

It also is in charge of statewide services including BreastScreen SA, SA Dental Services, SA Medical Imaging, SA Pathology, SA Pharmacy, SA Prison Health Service and DonateLife SA.

In an explanatory letter to staff Mr Spencer said Prof Dwyer’s dedication to staff and patients has been a hallmark of her tenure.

Top SA Health bureaucrat Lesley Dwyer will leave the job later this year after five years as chief executive of the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN). Picture: NCA NewsWire/Brenton Edwards

CALHN board chair Raymond Spencer. Picture: Tricia Watkinson.

“Lesley has provided a stability of leadership since she arrived in 2018 and CALHN is a much-changed organisation from the one she joined 5 years ago,” he said.

“She has helped to establish CALHN as a more cohesive, focused and modern health service.

“The Board has considered CALHN’s achievements and while we have made substantial progress in recent years, there is more to be done.

“After discussions with Professor Dwyer, a decision has been made that Lesley will not continue in the role after the end of her contract in November.”

Mr Spencer said Prof Dwyer has reiterated her continued focus and support for CALHN during the leadership transition.

An international recruitment search is expected to identify the next chief executive for the crucial position.

Health Minister Chris Picton thanked Prof Dwyer noting he first worked with her 15 years ago when he was an adviser to the former Health Minister John Hill and she was in a senior role at the old RAH

“From back then – to now – she’s always had a formidable intellect and been passionate about improving public health services,” he said.

“For the past five years she’s taken on one of the trickiest jobs in the State, at one of the trickiest times. She has done so with dedication and strong work ethic.

“It is easy to forget just how serious the threat was just three years ago before the borders closed – with the Royal Adelaide under Lesley’s leadership at the centre of the state’s response.

“Lesley deserves incredible praise and thanks for her efforts during this time in helping to lead and co-ordinate that response.”

Mr Picton noted hospital boards have the legal responsibility of selection of chief executives. Prof Dwyer arrived at CALHN in 2018 to find a network heading towards a $300m annual deficit after three years in charge of the huge Medway National Health Service Trust in Britain where she was credited with a dramatic turnaround in its credentials.

On arrival the nurse, administrator and grandmother bluntly noted there was a need for “cultural changes” in the bureaucracy.

“There is a line in the sand to be drawn,” she told The Advertiser when she started the job. “I do agree that it will be necessary to change some long entrenched attitudes within the network, but I am up to the challenge.”

Prof Dwyer implemented an unofficial motto of “If not us, then who?” to encourage staff to take responsibility for changes to increase efficiency for the benefit of patients.