Senior doctors to launch attack on board that governs children's hospitals at Randwick and Westmead
Senior doctors at one of NSW’s two children’s hospitals have accused the board of draining cardiac services from the Randwick facility in favour of Westmead and say preventable deaths will happen if the problem isn’t rectified. Now Health Minister Brad Hazzard is considering an independent reviewer to resolve it.
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Senior doctors at one of NSW’s two children’s hospitals are set to launch an extraordinary attack on the board that governs both facilities on Thursday, as simmering tensions over ongoing cuts to cardiac services at Randwick in favour of Westmead threaten to boil over.
The Senior Medical Staff Council at Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick (SCH) will vote on a motion of no confidence in the board and executive over concerns staff at Westmead hospital are running a concerted campaign to drain services from Randwick.
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While the vote is non-binding on the board, the result could blow the lid off a dispute simmering since 2012 when the senior administration of the two hospitals’ cardiac services were merged under the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (SCHN), with promises services would be retained at both sites.
SCH doctors warn the dispute could ultimately put the lives of children and babies at risk. The Daily Telegraph understands it has become so heated Health Minister Brad Hazzard is considering appointing an independent reviewer to resolve it.
A recent survey of more than 100 senior staff at SCH revealed more than 80 would consider abandoning the SCHN if funding allowed it.
And 80 per cent believed being part of the network had not improved healthcare delivery for their patients.
The SCHN’s executive and board have authority over both the SCH and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead (CHW).
They are expected to share the cardiac surgery workload, but SCH doctors believe a small group at CHW are trying to monopolise cardiac services.
They claim cardiologists aren’t referring patients to SCH or transferring patients from Westmead.
In one instance, an emergency helicopter due to land at SCH was unnecessarily redeployed to Westmead, sources said.
It’s understood no cardiology surgeries are currently scheduled for SCH despite a waitlist at Westmead.
“We are a comprehensive kids’ hospital and you can’t be one of those without a functioning cardiac surgical unit,” one SCH doctor said.
A SCHN spokeswoman said the board and executive were committed to delivering cardiac services under a “one service, two sites” model and was “currently recruiting new staff to increase coverage and ensure the delivery of a comprehensive, network cardiac service.”
In November, the council representing SCH doctors wrote to Mr Hazzard about their concerns about dwindling cardiac surgery.
“Preventable deaths will occur on the Randwick campus if paediatric cardiac surgery ceases to occur at SCH,” they wrote.
Originally published as Senior doctors to launch attack on board that governs children's hospitals at Randwick and Westmead
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