The chief executive overseeing five inner Sydney hospitals has left the role after a turbulent 12 months in which medical staff revolted against her leadership, sparking an intervention from the state’s health minister.
Dr Teresa Anderson, a speech pathologist by training who has been chief executive of Sydney Local Health District since 2011, will leave the role at the end of the month, NSW Health secretary Susan Pearce said in an internal memo sent to staff on Thursday.
Chief executive Teresa Anderson is leaving Sydney Local Health District. Credit: Rhett Wyman
Western Sydney Local Health District boss Graeme Loy will act in the role until a replacement is found, Pearce said.
Anderson has been assigned to lead the agency charged with establishing a new single digital patient record system, which Pearce said marked “a significant step forward in our commitment to revolutionise clinical management across the NSW health system”.
The next-generation system will replace and consolidate separate systems used by public hospitals across the state.
Her departure comes less than 12 months after the medical staff council at Concord Hospital passed a vote of no confidence in her leadership.
Revelations of a backlog of more than 30,000 unreported scans and a toxic workplace culture sparked an intervention from Health Minister Ryan Park, who announced mediators would be appointed to investigate the allegations and facilitate “a more positive workplace that allows our staff to continue to deliver the best possible healthcare to our community”.
In a statement, Pearce said Anderson was “ideally placed to lead the implementation of a secure, world-class digital platform”.
“She [Anderson] has a long and distinguished track-record of success in the delivery of public health services,” Pearce said.
Anderson said she would miss working with her colleagues across the health district, but she was looking forward to improving outcomes for patients across the state.
“No matter which NSW public hospital a patient attends, their care teams will have access to their full clinical information in real time,” she said.
“I will miss working with my many wonderful colleagues in Sydney Local Health District but I know they will continue to lead the way when it comes to providing world-class, patient-centered [sic] healthcare to their local communities and the huge amount of people who come into the area each day to work, study and visit.”
The health district employs about 12,000 staff across five hospitals including Concord, Royal Prince Alfred, Canterbury, Balmain and the Sydney Dental Hospital.