Major shake-up for boss of Sydney Local Health District Teresa Anderson
Major changes are afoot for troubled Sydney hospitals boss Teresa Anderson following a series of complaints.
NSW
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The chief executive of the trouble plagued Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), Teresa Anderson, has been moved following a controversial year of complaints about bullying by other staff, cost cutting and massive X-ray backlogs within two hospitals and a staff vote of no confidence in her management.
The SLHD has confirmed Dr Anderson will be heading up a new medical records system known as the Single Digital Patient Record Implementation Authority after thirteen years in the job.
The chief executive of the Western Sydney Health District (WSHD) Graeme Loy will stand in for Dr Anderson from May 27 until a new chief executive is appointed.
An email to staff from Susan Pearce the Secretary of NSW Health and John Ajaka the Chair of the SLHD Board, said “Teresa will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to this role, having demonstrated exceptional leadership during her 13 year tenure …”
“Teresa’s record of success underscores her capability to drive this innovation and deliver excellence in healthcare.”
Dr Anderson said she is excited by the new opportunity with NSW Health.
“The really exciting thing about the SDPR for me is what has always motivated me throughout my career in health – the opportunity to improve patient experiences and outcomes,” Dr Anderson said.
The news comes just days after it was revealed in a leaked memo that women who’ve undergone mastectomies and hysterectomies are to be pushed out of hospital beds in the SLHD just hours after their surgery to meet “aspirational benchmarks” for patient discharge numbers.
The shocking memo, which has been widely circulated among medical staff revealed health administrators wanted high-volume procedures treated as same day surgery by “default” unless “clinically indicated otherwise”.
It was also revealed a new “Medical Imaging Prioritisation Tool” dictating the more than two year backlog of X-rays across two SLHD hospitals should not be reported on unless absolutely necessary.
It was an attempt to slash massive X-ray queues, which had previously peaked at 200,000 a decade ago – a figure health officials promised would never happen again.
Dr Anderson, a former speech pathologist, had been in charge of 12,000 staff across five hospitals — Royal Prince Alfred, Concord, Canterbury, Balmain, and Sydney Dental Hospital.
Last year more than 60 per cent of medical staff from Concord Hospital supported a vote of no confidence in Dr Anderson over problems that have been plaguing the hospital and the health district.
Doctors, nurses and health staff have also called or a parliamentary inquiry into the behind the scenes management of a string of major Sydney hospitals.
Doctors who spoke out said it was first time such a vote of no confidence has happened in 30 years, and have called for the government to intervene.
“It is just the tip of the iceberg,” one said.
Staff have been railing against a culture of fear and oppression and bullying they sa
y has stopped them speaking up about what is going on inside the SLHD hospitals.
They have complained about manipulation of waiting lists, being discouraged from reporting adverse outcomes for patients, and reprisals for people who did speak up.
Senior medical staff at Concord Hospital also alleged they were targeted in an extraordinary spy operation over allegations they were suspected of acting corruptly and were going to be referred to ICAC for investigation.
It was rumoured that the SLHD was spying on the staff to check they were working the hours they said they were.
The staff were sent letters warning they may have breached policies – which meant under the act they could be referred to ICAC.
Originally published as Major shake-up for boss of Sydney Local Health District Teresa Anderson
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