Administrator takes shortterm role to assist hospital

AN experienced South Canterburybased health administrator has taken up a shortterm role at Oamaru Hospital as its recruitment process for a new chief executive continues.

South Canterbury District Health Board primary health partnerships and allied health director Ruth Kibble started at the hospital just over a week ago, and is expected to aid senior staff there for the next three months.

Waitaki District Health Services director Chris Swann said Mrs Kibble was asked to come to Oamaru to assist with the hospital’s introduction of a new healthcare model, which involved a shift from a specialist to a generalist model, part of a continuing transition which involved doctors being trained and recruited as rural health specialists.

‘‘She is doing some work around the new model of care and some strategic direction work around that new model.’’

She would not be involved in recruitment, he said.

Mrs Kibble was unavailable for comment yesterday.

In May, former hospital chief executive Robert Gonzales resigned after 17 years in the role.

While recruitment for a new chief executive was under way, the position had not yet been formally advertised.

On June 14, the Otago Daily

Times reported the company was working with the Southern District Health Board to address staffing issues at clinical and management level.

The recent appointment of Dr Fazal Mann to the role of rural hospital medical specialist had helped ease staffing pressure at the hospital, as had the recruitment of two emergency department doctors who were to start at the end of this month.

Mr Swann said the hospital was on track to achieve its goal of running shifts with its own staff, as opposed to relying on locums.

‘‘There will still be some locums required, but as I’ve outlined we’ve tended to new recruiting and we will run the roster from our own staff. ’’