There is nothing more important than safeguarding our children and, while we await the recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry, the Tasmanian Government is not waiting to take action where it is clear it is needed now.
The evidence presented during the Health hearings of the Commission of Inquiry was distressing and highlighted the need for significant structural and cultural change to better protect the safety of children and young people, especially at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH).
The Tasmanian Government acted immediately and announced a Child Safe Governance Review into the LGH and Human Resources – with a specific focus on the handling of serious misconduct such as institutional child sexual abuse.
This Review is well underway and last week the Governance Advisory Panel met formally for the third time, with the meeting focused on the senior executive structure of the LGH and the reporting framework for child safety concerns.
The Governance Advisory Panel has determined that to achieve the implementation of critical child safety reforms, and commence the necessary organisational renewal, a dedicated focus on the senior executive leadership structure of the LGH is urgent and essential.
As a result, on behalf of the Governance Advisory Panel, the Co-Chairs of the Panel, Adjunct Professor Debora Picone AO and Adjunct Professor Karen Crawshaw PSM submitted the following interim recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health:
We acknowledge these interim recommendations and commit to actioning them immediately.
Additionally, we can announce the following changes which underline our commitment to a significant reset of executive culture across the Department of Health (DoH), through the lens of child safety.
New Child Safeguarding Officers will be recruited and be based at the four major public hospitals in Tasmania to support the implementation of the DoH Child Safety and Wellbeing Framework, including education on mandatory reporting and identifying grooming and professional boundary breaches. These positions will work with the hospital executive to support child safeguarding and will complement the Department of Communities Tasmania Child Safety Liaison positions located in the hospitals.
While a nationwide recruitment process is undertaken for the new roles of Chief Executive Hospitals North and Chief Executive Hospitals North West, Mr Eric Daniels will act as Chief Executive Hospitals North West prior to his retirement in 2023 and until handover is completed.
LGH Director of Operations, Jennifer Duncan, will act in the Chief Executive Hospitals North role. Ms Duncan is a recent appointment to the LGH (Director Operations), commencing earlier this year after relocating from NSW where she held a senior health position.
Current North West Executive Director of Medical Services, Dr Kathleen Atkinson, will act in the role of Executive Director of Medical Services at the LGH for a period of six months, while a recruitment process is completed. The retiring Executive Director of Medical Services, Dr Peter Renshaw, is currently on a period of extended leave.
In addition, a new permanent Deputy Executive Director of Medical Services (EDMS) position will be created in the North and an expression of interest process for an acting opportunity is progressing, while a recruitment process is completed. This will ensure statewide consistency with a Deputy EDMS for each region and will assist the office of the EDMS to respond to recommendations to refresh its role and responsibilities. The result of the expression of interest is expected to be announced next week.
The Executive Director of Nursing & Midwifery North position will be advertised and a recruitment process will be completed, including handover from retiring Executive Director Ms Helen Bryan.
The Director of Improvement (Patient Safety and Quality) North/North-West will be split into two roles - one in the North and one in the North-West - to ensure a dedicated local focus for each region. Ms Morag McPherson will continue in the role in the North, with the vacant role in the North-West progressing through a recruitment process.
A new position of Deputy Secretary Hospitals and Primary Care will be created, to support the significant governance, reform and cultural change program underway and provide a strategic statewide focus, including access and patient flow and the primary/acute care interface. Mr Dale Webster, currently Deputy Secretary Community, Mental Health and Wellbeing, will act in the role while a recruitment process is completed.
A new statewide Chief Risk Officer position will be created to drive and implement risk management across the Department of Health. An expression of interest process will be undertaken for acting arrangements, while a recruitment process is completed.
The Governance Advisory Panel is continuing its important work and will deliver full recommendations in November 2022, with a commitment the recommendations will be implemented across the entire Department. We also anticipate findings and recommendations next year from the Commission of Inquiry, which we have already announced our intention to implement in full.
The Child Safe Governance Review’s interim recommendations, and the measures we have announced today, are designed to drive immediate change that increases Health’s capacity, focus and accountability to implement and embed child safety across our hospitals and health services.
The Communique and correspondence from the Governance Advisory Panel from its latest meeting are available https://www.health.tas.gov.au/news/articles/communique-co-chairs-governance-advisory-panel-20-september-2022 and https://www.health.tas.gov.au/publications/organisation-chart
The terms of reference for the Child Safe Governance Review are available at: www.health.tas.gov.au/news/news/child-safe-governance-review