Let's take another look at how the SSWAHS executive interprets its "Code of Conduct" when it comes to complaints about its staff.
Here's another gem from the Bowral community members. A complaint is made to the manager of one of the local services about comments they have made to their staff about a community member are inappropriate and contrary to the Fair Trade Act (among others) and could be seen as defamatory. This time the complaint, made on 16 October 2009, is forwarded to SSWAHS Area executive. Socrates has been given a copy of the response to the complainant from someone who goes by the name H.E on behalf of the Director of Corporate Services.
"Dear Mr ........
Subject: Allegations in relation to Mr ..... .......
I refer to your correspondence dated 16 October 2009 in which you allege that you have received reports from unnamed sources to the effect that Mr .... .... (... ....) has expressed opinions in relation to referral processes between the Mental Health Service and yourself in the capacity as a private clinician. The matters raised in your correspondence have been investigated by Area Mental Health Services and I have been informed as follows.
Mr ..... denies having made any statements to staff and/or others in relation to the (sic) whether the Mental Health Services should refer clients to you. I am advised that in accordance with NSW Health Policy, the Mental Health Service has had a long-standing practice of providing clients who require private sector services with the names of a range of clinicians who practise in a geographical area. This information is provided without commentary or opinion being passed by Health Service staff in relation to the skills of any of the clinicians listed. I am also advised that the expectation that this practice continues to be followed was reconfirmed by a senior manager within the Mental Health Service at a recent meeting of the Bowral Mental Health Team.
I would be grateful if you could direct any further concerns that you might have in relation to service interaction between yourself and Bowral Mental Health, and/or the actions of any Health Service staff member, to Mr William Midson (Service Manager, Community Mental Health Wingecarribee/Bowral). Mr Midson can be contacted by email william.midson@sswahs.nsw.gov.au or telephone 4629 5414.
If you have any further questions in relation to this matter please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
H.E.
pp Jan Whalan
Director of Corporate Services
Date: 23 December 2009
Again, we seem to have the SSWAHS policy of simply asking the person against whom the complaint is made to decide the outcome. Hardly consistent with the Code of Conduct 1.5 Fairness in Decision Making: ..."I will deal with issues, cases of complaints consistently, promptly, openly and fairly".
What a pity that the investigator of the " investigation by Area Mental Health Services" didn't bother to ask any of the staff present at that Tuesday morning staff meeting at which the statement was made by Mr .... , what they were told by him in no uncertain terms. Instead SSWAHS simply relied on Mr ....'s word that "No, I didn't say that." Ah well! At least there was an opportunity to respond according to the H.E. letter: "If you have any further questions ...... please do not hesitate to contact me."
Well, I'm informed that the complainant took up the offer and on 31 December penned another letter to Ms Jan Whalan, Director of Corporate Services. In summary, the letter suggests that the SSWAHS investigator revisit the complaint and speak with other staff (even a consultant psychiatrist) who were present during the meeting at which the statement was made by Mr ..... . It was also suggested that clients of the mental Health Service were not advised that they could be given a list of private practitioners in the area to who they could be referred. It was also noted that a SSWAHS employed psychiatrist in Bowral was making direct referrals of his public patients to a private practitioner in the Bowral area in apparent contravention to the "long-standing practice of providing clients ... with the names of a range of clinicians who practise in a geographical area without commentary or opinion being passed....". This was in contrast to other consultant psychiatrists employed by SSWAHS had been advised that they were not to do so.
I suppose the "If you have any further questions in relation to this matter please do not hesitate to contact me" really didn't say "However, if you do - don't expect a reply". You guessed it - the complainant is still waiting for the response from that second letter.
As a side note to the response from SSWAHS, when the Manager of the Wingecarribee/Bowral Mental Health service was asked for the list of local clinicians which was made available to clients of the Bowral mental health service, the response was that very few clients asked for any list and any that did would simply be told to look up the local Yellow Pages.
I guess this is the classic case of the right hand (SSWAHS) not knowing what the left hand (Bowral MHT) was doing. Perhaps this is a timely lesson for Highlanders using any of the local SSWAHS health services to ask for a list of local clinicians in private practice that they might ask for any continuing service. Just don't depend only on the local Yellow Pages for the answer.
