Crown monitor to continue at troubled DHB

Canterbury’s health board will continue to be overseen by Crown monitor Lester Levy, after he agreed to a second term in the role.

Minister of Health Andrew Little confirmed the appointment yesterday, two days after Levy’s first contract finished.

The Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) was unable to confirm the forecast deficit for the end of June this year, but Stuff understands that it is likely to be more than $200 million.

Levy, a former chairman of the Waitemata, Auckland, and Counties Manukau district health boards, was first appointed to the role by former minister David Clark in June 2019, when the forecast deficit was $103.4m. By June 2020, it had grown to about $180m.

Following the resignations of seven senior executive team members in July and August last year, including former chief executive David Meates, Levy spoke publicly about the CDHB management’s failures regarding its budget. ‘‘The reality is the finances are in terrible shape,’’ he told Stuff at the time.

Former chief medical officer Sue Nightingale, who left in December, said at the time of her resignation in August that the board and Levy’s adversarial approach was behind her decision to quit.

Little defended Levy’s work as Crown monitor to date. ‘‘The reporting I’ve had is that he’s been actively involved in putting together a credible financial repositioning programme.’’

Asked if he was confident that Levy’s presence would not create an adversarial atmosphere for staff, Little said this would be the responsibility of new chief executive Peter Bramley.

At the first board meeting for the year, Bramley noted that the board’s savings plan would not realistically be achieved by June 30, and discussions were under way with the Ministry of Health about a revised path to reduce the deficit.

CDHB board chair Sir John Hansen welcomed the appointment. However, board member Jo

Kane did not support it and said Levy had not brought ‘‘any fresh ideas, or anything new to the table’’.

‘‘In fact, since our senior management walked out our position has got worse,’’ she said.

Andy Dickerson, another longtime board member, said he believed the appointment was ‘‘completely unnecessary’’ but he had nothing against Levy personally. He said the CDHB’s large deficit was the result of successive government underfunding, and a Crown monitor would make no difference.