Northern Beaches Hospital CEO Deborah Latta resigns

The CEO of a controversial new Sydney hospital, which opened this month, has resigned.

Left to right: Healthscope MD and CEO Gordon Ballantyne, MP Brad Hazzard, CEO of NBH Deborah Latta, Surgeon Stuart Pincott and Medical Director of NBH Louise Messara at the opening of the new Northern Beaches Hospital. Picture: Adam Yip

The CEO of the controversial new Northern Beaches hospital, which opened this month, has resigned.

Deborah Latta has said in a statement to staff she always planned to resign once the hospital was operational.

In a statement the hospital Ms Latta had resigned to take a “well-earned break”.

The statement said: “Earlier this week Healthscope announced the landmark Northern Beaches Hospital in Sydney’s Frenchs Forest is now officially open.

“The official opening marks an important milestone as we transition the hospital into the next phase of its development.

“Deborah Latta, CEO of Northern Beaches Hospital has been dedicated to this critical project since 2012. Deborah successfully led the Healthscope bid through a competitive process to design, construct and operate the hospital and she has worked tirelessly in the last 6 years to deliver the extraordinary facility we have today. It has been a remarkable personal and team effort to open the hospital on time and budget.

“Deborah has had a wonderfully successful 38 year career in healthcare and having successfully opened Northern Beaches Hospital Deborah has chosen to resign her position as CEO, NBH to take a well-earned break.

“Stephen Gameren is appointed as interim CEO of the Northern Beaches Hospital, effective from 21 November 2018. Stephen will work with Deborah and the NBH Leadership Team to ensure a smooth transition over the next four weeks.

“Stephen is the current State Manager of the Healthscope NSW portfolio and has 25 years of experience in hospital leadership, including senior executive roles managing large hospitals both in Australia and overseas.”

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been under pressure over the hospital after its operations were privatised, and operations cancelled amid claims of staff shortages, but the Premier put this down at the official opening of the hospital on Monday to “teething problems”.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard denied the situation surrounding the hospital was a “debacle” and said he was “absolutely ecstatic” about the way the hospital was progressing, while admitting there had been “challenges”.

He said he had had two conversations with Ms Latta this morning after she resigned and she told him she was “tired” and needed a break.

He said the hospital had already performed 700 operations and “This morning there was an abdominal aortic aneurysm that occurred Friday night and the patient was an hour away from death . . because of the expertise they were able to save that patient’s life.”

He admitted “there is still some issues around junior doctor staffing” but said Healthscope were working through the “challenges”.

“I have spoken to Deb today, twice this morning and she is very much supportive and working with me . . her comments to me were that she had had worked 38 years and she’s quite looking forward to having a bit of a break,” Mr Hazzard.

“People change their workplaces.

“She said she had actually been intending to resign at some point to allow a transition to the new management.

“I’m absolutely certain the hospital will continue to do an incredible job.

“She said to me she’s actually feeling quite tired.

“I have to say to you my job is not to be .. in any way negative of what Deb Latta has done.

“If she has chosen this is her time, that is a matter for her.”

“Bringing together a very big hospital always has teething issues.

The AMA released a statement on the change at the hospital, saying: “AMA (NSW) has been working closely with the doctors at Northern Beaches Hospital to resolve the crisis that has enveloped the facility.

“Senior AMA (NSW) staff have been meeting with doctors and management to ensure sufficient standards are maintained for both the people who work there and the patients they treat.

“Doctors need to have confidence in the systems at hospitals where they work and patients need to have confidence that they will be getting the best treatment.

“Earlier this week, AMA (NSW) reached an agreement with the Ministry, Northern Sydney Local Health District, Healthscope, and ASMOF (NSW) on improvements that can be made.

“With the events of today, including a stronger role for the Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Victoria Atkinson, it’s our hope that we can move forward on ensuring the Hospital lives up to the expectations of its staff and patients,” AMA (NSW) President, Dr Kean-Seng Lim, said.

“I am grateful that the doctors at Northern Beaches Hospital, who have been working with AMA (NSW) on this for some time, raised their concerns.

“It is also pleasing to see that the Hospital’s management is taking actions to directly address those concerns.

“It’s particularly pleasing to see that, as part of the change in direction at the Hospital, a doctors’ meeting scheduled for tonight is now being held on hospital grounds with participation from management.

“The original plan was to hold it offsite.”