Qld Metro South hospitals boss Stephen Ayre gets $300k payout

Taxpayers will be stung an eye-watering amount to pay out dumped hospitals boss Stephen Ayre, as the Opposition calls for another scalp over the health fiasco.

TAXPAYERS will be stung over $300,000 to pay out dumped health boss Stephen Ayre as the Opposition calls for another scalp over the health fiasco.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the sizeable payout in the wake of Monday’s shock sacking of the Metro South chief executive.

Queensland hospital boss Stephen Ayre sacked amid overcrowding crisis

Hospital whistleblower says 400 more beds needed to fix crisis

Qld public service: Education, health hit as 1000 jobs go

Dr Ayre, who last year earned $645,000, had three years left on his contract but was shown the door after a litany of issues came to light, particularly at Logan Hospital.

Health Minister Steven Miles yesterday resisted Opposition calls for his sacking, telling Parliament the Health and Hospital Service had made the best decision for patients.

“We expect our health executives to ensure that they deliver the hospital performance for patients, that they are expected to deliver operationally,” he said.

Fallen Metro South chief executive Stephen Ayre (left) with Health Minister Steven Miles last year

Metro North chief executive Shaun Drummond will begin today as Dr Ayre’s replacement, tasked with better managing resources and ensuring Metro South’s five hospitals – Logan, Redlands, Princess Alexandra, QEII Jubilee and Beaudesert – operate as one health network rather than individual facilities.

It’s hoped that will allow hospitals to better manage spikes in demand by diverting patients to where there’s room.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said Mr Miles had led the system into crisis, and called for him to shoulder the blame and be sacked.

“They need to stop blaming the patient, they need to stop blaming the winter flu, the summer flu, the ambulances, the paramedics, the doctors and the nurses,” she said.

“What they need to start doing is taking control of the system and looking after the patients.”