No DHB boss yet, but accreditation back

The Waikato District Health Board could be without a permanent boss until 2020.

At earliest, the search for a new chief executive will begin at the end of this year.

But it could be a lengthy process, with the DHB previously saying it could take up to 18 months to complete.

However, the seat’s not empty with executive director of Mental Health and Addictions Services Derek Wright stepping in as interim chief for at least the next year.

Wright said stability is needed after the DHB was rocked last year by former chief executive Nigel Murray’s spending scandal.

While Wright, 63, would consider staying in the role in 2019 as well, he didn’t see the position as permanent at this stage.

‘‘I see my job really to settle things down, start to head us in the right direction. Longer term we need someone who is going to be here for five years.

‘‘I’ll stay for as long as the DHB need me to stay.’’

And it’s not the only executive position up in the air.

Wright has proposed a restructure of the executive team, including taking away two positions which would be combined into one, while another executive would be deployed within the DHB.

The restructure would also see 11 – rather than 18 – executives reporting to the chief.

‘‘If I met with 18 of them, I would never do anything else.’’

Meanwhile, disgraced former boss Murray is lying low.

‘‘We don’t know where he is, we don’t know whether he’s still in this country or not,’’ Wright said. ‘‘He paid back the money that was agreed. There was then about 20 grand that was in dispute which has gone into his lawyers’ trust fund. So the money is there.

‘‘It’s just the question of was that a legitimate expense or a personal expense.’’

When a Waikato Times reporter visited the $1.2 million Tamahere villa owned by Murray on Tuesday, no one answered, although dogs were barking indoors and windows partially open.

Murray hasn’t fronted media since investigations began in July last year.

The Times understands Murray was in the country over the Christmas period and possibly residing in Auckland. His expenses are being investigated by the States Services Commission.

Murray-related events had wrongly discredited guiltless DHB staff, Wright said.

‘‘We can’t beat around the bush, we need to rebuild public confidence.

‘‘The last four months of last year we were in the media every day for the wrong reasons. And mainly around one individual.

‘‘You google us and what pops up? It’s all the bad stuff. It was our staff that blew the whistle in the first place. I think it’s important that people remember that.’’

And it’s been a promising start to the year, with the DHB regaining its obstetrics and gynaecology accreditation, after being stripped of it more than two years ago.

It came after the DHB failed to meet three of seven standards set by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

The loss meant junior doctors couldn’t be trained by the DHB and Women’s Health Services were affected. Now, all standards have been passed, with accreditation secured for four years.

Poor culture in Women’s Health – a problem two years ago – has improved hugely, Women’s Health Commissioner Tanya Maloney said in a statement.

Maloney said the training committee visited the DHB on Tuesday and congratulated it on the ‘‘fantastic turnaround’’.

‘‘They also said our workplace culture in women’s health had improved markedly and was now ‘exemplary’ with a ‘warm, welcoming, supportive environment’.’’

It was an impressive feat for the DHB, Wright said.