Following the sending of the following letter a very unsettling telephone conversation followed from a woman in the NSW Ombudsman's office. It went something along the lines of: "Although you might have a legitimate complaint against SSWAHS you no longer work for them and we have to use our limited resources on more important complaints." Okay, so what could be more important than serious complaints about senior executive staff of an Area Health Service like SSWAHS. One has to wonder whether someone higher up the food chain has leaned upon a statutory authority like the Ombudsman's Office.
Team Leader
Community Services Division
NSW Ombudsman
Level 24, 580 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
12 April 2010
Your ref: C/2009/7806
Dear Sir/Madam,
RE: My complaint about the Sydney South West Area Health Service (SSWAHS)
I refer to my earlier correspondence and complaint lodged with the NSW Ombudsman on the 5th and 9th November 2009.
Having followed the recommendation provided by your office in its response from Kim Kenny on 12 November 2009 I communicated my complaints about officers in SSWAHS to the CEO of Health NSW and to the CEO of SSWAHS I have remained awaiting some informed response for the past six months. I understand that the CEO of SSWAHS has indicated that a Mr Graeme Slade would provide me with a written response upon the completion of any investigation. To date there has been no further communication from SSWAHS and nor has Mr Slade spoken with me.
I also wrote to Ms Carmel Tebbutt MP (Minister for Health), and Mrs Barbara Perry MP (Minister assisting the Minister for Health – Mental Health and Cancer) on 4 November 2009 in which I made comments about the same and similar complaints. To date I have not even received an acknowledgement of the receipt of the letters nor, obviously, any action they may have taken. In regard to the letters of complaint I was advised to forward to the CEO of Health NSW again I received no acknowledgement that they had even been received or actioned.
On 23 December 2009 I did receive a brief response from one of the persons about whom I had complained. The content of the letter from Dr Victor Storm did not demonstrate any transparency nor did it suggest that anything was done differently to that which he advised he would do in May 2009. I gained no confidence from the content of Dr Storm’s letter of 23 December 2009 that the matter of my complaint had been fully investigated objectively.
I have enclosed copies of my complaint and the responses in the hope that the NSW Ombudsman will consider the outcome worthy of further investigation.
Yours sincerely,
Kevin O’NeillSocrates simply offers the above for your information. You be the judge!
