“Nevertheless,the hospital has been and is actively looking to replace those staff and there have been no cuts to pre-pandemic staffing levels,” the spokesman said.
The vote of no confidence was initiated by Associate Professor Winston Cheung,who survived a counter-motion against his leadership of the council representing the hospital’s medical staff.
In an internal email sent to staff and seen by theHerald,Cheung wrote that he did not believe Anderson’s management style was consistent with the expectations of Concord Hospital staff,patients and families.
Colleagues expressed their support for Cheung in response.
“There has been a slow death by over a thousand cuts in Concord,” one doctor wrote. “Let’s get this sorted.”
“It’s time that all departments are given a share of the RPA-centric pie,” wrote another.
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Cheung declined to comment publicly.
The vote,which staff say was the first in three decades,comes after Anderson was embroiled in a separate controversy regarding a cardiothoracic surgeon at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Two initial expert investigations found serious deficiencies in the practice of cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Michael Byrom,who was the subject of whistleblower complaints by other hospital staff.
The first review,commissioned in 2016,recommended a suite of interventions before Byrom returned to full clinical privileges.
After the second review,the investigators did not recommend another period of remediation and urged the Sydney Local Health District to consider their findings when deciding whether to renew Byrom’s contract.
Anderson commissioned a third expert investigation,which reversed the findings of the earlier reviews,and sent staff a memo exonerating Byrom.
Whistleblowing staff complained to the Health Care Complaints Commission,which did not find evidence of significant clinical departures warranting cancelling Byrom’s registration,but referred him to the NSW Medical Council for a performance assessment.
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In 2020,the Australian reported the NSW Medical Council had restricted Byrom from performing major heart and lung surgery and placed him on a stringent program of supervision and retraining. It is understood those extensive conditions have since been lifted.
Anderson,a speech pathologist by training,oversees 12,000 staff across five hospitals including Concord,RPA,Canterbury,Balmain and the Sydney Dental Hospital. She has held the role since 2011.
Anderson and the Sydney LHD did not comment on the Byrom matter.
“We greatly value the vital role of clinician feedback and engagement and will continue to listen to and work with the clinicians and all staff at Concord Hospital to ensure we continue to achieve the best health outcomes for our patients,” the LHD spokesman said in a statement.
Health Minister Ryan Park said he was concerned to learn of the issues raised at Concord Hospital but would not say whether Anderson should resign.
“I encourage all staff members to report any concerns,and those who do are supported to report their concerns through appropriate channels,” he said.
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