Big health shake-up

THE Health Department’s chief operating officer has had her position abolished in a major restructure announced by Health Minister Sarah Courtney. Nicola Dymond’s position has been axed in the revamp – the fourth shake-up in five years. Ms Courtney described changes as a way to “build a stronger sense of collaboration, co-operation and shared purpose”.

THE Health Department’s chief operating officer is the major casualty of a restructure announced yesterday by Health Minister Sarah Courtney.

The top ranks of the state’s health service will be streamlined under the restructure, which follows restructures in 2015, 2017 and 2018. The last of those was described as “an exciting new phase in the life of our department”.

The latest is promised to “build a stronger sense of collaboration, co-operation and shared purpose”.

None has yet had much impact on the state’s ongoing health crisis.

Ms Courtney announced the Tasmania Health Service Executive will be abolished and 18 senior roles will be merged into 12, who will report directly to the department secretary.

The current three-person Tasmania Health Service Executive and the 15-member Joint Executive underneath it will both be axed and replaced with a 12-person executive.

Chief operating officer Nicola Dymond’s position was abolished. The state’s four hospitals will be placed under the direction of two chief executive officers.

Among new positions to be created will be a Deputy Secretary Community Mental Health and Wellbeing and an Executive Director of Business Improvement and Reform.

There will be minor cost savings as part of the restructure, Ms Courtney said.

“We have one health system, and we will now have one health executive team.

“This new structure will drive improved decision-making, enhance accountability and further empower local hospital management to best manage local demand, with a greater focus on community-based care and health system reform.”

Health Department secretary Katherine MorganWicks said the restructure was aimed at simplifying the top of the health service.

“This new health structure is about streamlining our executive structure to improve governance as recommended by the Access Solutions meeting last year,” she said.

“It’s about strengthening local decision making and ensuring that those decisions can be made as effectively and as efficiently as possible.”

AMA Tasmania president John Burgess welcomed the move. “We are pleased with the positive engagement we have had with the Minister and the Secretary of Health since their appointments on the issue of governance reform,” he said.

“We wait to see the detail as to whether this reform goes far enough to provide the level of autonomy required within hospitals to get on with the job and not be held back by topheavy bureaucracy slowing decision making down.”

The changes will begin to take effect from March 2.