September 21, 2009
Two Texas Nurses Arrested Over Shady Physician Practice Report
Posted by Tye under Ethics, Medicine | Tags: Austin American Statesman, herbal medecine, Kermit, prosecution, Science Based Medicine, standard of care, Texas, Texas Medical Board, Texas Nurses Association |
This weekend I was reading about how two nurses from Kermit, Texas were indicted with a third-degree felony for “misuse of official information.” The real charge should be “victim of a witch-hunt” as these two nurses did nothing but hold up the Nurse’s Code of Ethics.
A physician at their hospital was encouraging patients to purchase dubious herbal “medicines” that he happened to profit from because he was the seller. They also thought it was improper that the physician tried to steal materials from the hospital to test patients at their home (the hospital administrators stopped this before it happened). Once the physician found out a complaint had been launched against him he filed a harassment charge to the Winkler County Sheriff’s Department. Through what may have been the most thorough investigation in the history of the county’s sheriff’s department the two nurses were identified and charged with a crime that could result in 2-10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
The Texas Nurses Association has created a legal defense fund in support of the two women and the Texas Medical Board has written a letter to the attorneys detailing the impropriety of prosecuting the nurses. From what I’ve read the trial should be happening this month but I can’t find much information about it.
There have been some excellent state commentaries on this situation as well as national coverage on the well read medical blog “Science Based Medicine”. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from the reports.
From the Austin American Statesmen:
The Texas Medical Board sent a letter to the attorneys stating that it is improper to criminally prosecute people for raising complaints with the board; that the complaints were confidential and not subject to subpoena; that the board is exempt from federal HIPAA law; and that, on the contrary, the board depends on reporting from health care professionals to carry out its duty of protecting the public from improper practitioners.
This situation shouldn’t happen anywhere, but it especially shouldn’t happen in Texas, which hassome of the toughest whistle-blower and patient advocacy protections for nurses in the nation, thanks to the leadership of Texas Nurses Association.
ADVANCE for Nurses:
Jim Willman, general counsel/director of government affairs for TNA, cited a Texas case in 1983, Lunsford v. Board of Nurse Examiners, 648 S.W.2d 391, 395 (Tex.Civ.App. 1983), where the court held that “[a] license to provide medical services is a covenant to serve the people.” The judgment determined “nurses have a duty to act in the best interest of their patients, and . this duty is not superseded by hospital policies,” explained Willman.
TNA fears the legal precedent the nurses’ indictment sets. The message it sends to nurses and other healthcare practitioners will have adverse affects on the health and safety of patients, Willman added.
“The two nurses had concerns about whether a physician was practicing below the accepted standard of care and reported those concerns to the TMB,” he said. “The NPA recognizes their right to report and their duty to patients requires them to do so. The criminal indictment cannot help but discourage other nurses from reporting a physician, another nurse or a hospital for unsafe patient care.”
The TMB also objected to the criminal prosecution of the nurses, and sent a letter to the Winkler County district attorneys stating the nurses’ complaint was allowed under state and federal law. The board argued “it is improper to criminally prosecute people for raising complaints with the TMB.” It also noted since the complaints were confidential they were not subject to subpoena and that “under federal law TMB is exempt from HIPAA requirements.”
“In my 8 years with the board, I have never seen a complainant charged with a felony for making a complaint to the board,” said Mari Robertson, JD, TMB executive director. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a criminal prosecution for providing information to the medical board.”
And from SBM:
This case is bad. Real bad. Nurses and other health care professionals are reluctant enough as it is to report a bad doctor or a doctor peddling dubious therapies as it is. What makes this case particularly outrageous is not only because it appears to be a horrible abuse of power by Sheriff Roberts, but, even worse, it sends the clear and unmistakable message to nurses in Texas: Don’t get out of line or the medical powers that be will make you pay. They will find out who you are, no matter what it takes to do so, and then they will do everything in their power to retaliate. They’ll even try to throw you in jail if they can figure out a rationale to do so, legal or not.
Showing posts with label SSWAHS and retention of staff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SSWAHS and retention of staff. Show all posts
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
SSWAHS and its idea of its OH&S responsibilities.
Socrates found this article in an archived version of "The Lamp"which is the official Journal of the NSW Nurses Association.
Addressing risks for community-based mental health nurses
Lamp, The, July, 2009 by Kevin O’Neill
I was delighted to see that Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital has considered the risks experienced by their community-based mental health nurse equal to, or sometimes even
greater than, those faced by their in-patient unit colleagues. I think expenditure of $9,000
to kit out home visiting staff with the ‘panic button phones’ (p8, The Lamp, May issue) shows that at least St Vincent’s is taking their risk management seriously.
About three years ago I worked with a supplier of duress alarms to mental health in-patient units in Sydney South West AHS (SSWAHS) to develop a mobile duress unit similar to the principle now adopted by the St Vincent’s Mental Health Services. The device the manufacturer came up with consisted of a portable, car-based unit containing a GPS unit and a mobile phone that acted as a transmitter.
The mental health worker carried the standard duress alarm commonly used within in-patient units. When activated, it sent a duress signal to the transmitter located in the work vehicle, which in turn sent the signal as a recorded message to a receiving mobile phone and computer at the worker’s home base. The GPS allowed the placement of the work vehicle to be identified and sent to the receiving mobile phone along with the emergency message.
The beauty of this system was the alarm could be raised silently by the push of a button, and if the staff member was knocked down, or the unit was pulled from the worker’s belt or clothing, it would be activated automatically.
To test the unit in our rural area, I spent the better part of a Sunday travelling all over the Southern Highlands activating the unit for an assessment of its effectiveness. Wherever there was a signal from a mobile phone tower, the GPS report and an emergency message was received.
When I asked for funding for a trial project of the duress alarm it was refused by SSWAHS. I was informed that the Area Health Service (Ms Jan Whalan) opposed the trial on the basis that if it worked, all community-based nurses would want them. It seems that Melbourne, at least, values
their responsibility to provide a safe work environment with something more practical than just words in a policy.
Kevin O’Neill, RN, Wingecarribee Community Health
Addressing risks for community-based mental health nurses
Lamp, The, July, 2009 by Kevin O’Neill
I was delighted to see that Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital has considered the risks experienced by their community-based mental health nurse equal to, or sometimes even
greater than, those faced by their in-patient unit colleagues. I think expenditure of $9,000
to kit out home visiting staff with the ‘panic button phones’ (p8, The Lamp, May issue) shows that at least St Vincent’s is taking their risk management seriously.
About three years ago I worked with a supplier of duress alarms to mental health in-patient units in Sydney South West AHS (SSWAHS) to develop a mobile duress unit similar to the principle now adopted by the St Vincent’s Mental Health Services. The device the manufacturer came up with consisted of a portable, car-based unit containing a GPS unit and a mobile phone that acted as a transmitter.
The mental health worker carried the standard duress alarm commonly used within in-patient units. When activated, it sent a duress signal to the transmitter located in the work vehicle, which in turn sent the signal as a recorded message to a receiving mobile phone and computer at the worker’s home base. The GPS allowed the placement of the work vehicle to be identified and sent to the receiving mobile phone along with the emergency message.
The beauty of this system was the alarm could be raised silently by the push of a button, and if the staff member was knocked down, or the unit was pulled from the worker’s belt or clothing, it would be activated automatically.
To test the unit in our rural area, I spent the better part of a Sunday travelling all over the Southern Highlands activating the unit for an assessment of its effectiveness. Wherever there was a signal from a mobile phone tower, the GPS report and an emergency message was received.
When I asked for funding for a trial project of the duress alarm it was refused by SSWAHS. I was informed that the Area Health Service (Ms Jan Whalan) opposed the trial on the basis that if it worked, all community-based nurses would want them. It seems that Melbourne, at least, values
their responsibility to provide a safe work environment with something more practical than just words in a policy.
Kevin O’Neill, RN, Wingecarribee Community Health
Sunday, October 10, 2010
SSWAHS and its solution for mental health patients in their care
Is this the plan for the future? SSWAHS outsourcing its clinical responsibilities to general practitioners who might be unable to deliver the basic medical skills to patients in the community. While asking for expressions of interest will the SSWAHS Executive bother to check whether the general practitioners responding to this proposal have the skills to provide the necessary clinical skills to those for who they are being made responsible.
Dr Teresa Anderson, SSWAHS Director of Clinical Operations, wrote to the CEO of the Central Sydney GP Network, Dr Michael Moore, on 20 August, 2010 to request expressions of interest from their organisation, or individual general practitioners and/or their practices. The focus of the EOI is to provide medical services to patients with mental illnesses who attend the SSWAHS community health centres.
SSWAHS cites the current situation they have at Croydon and Redfern Community Health Centres. It would appear that they have plans to eventually roll this program out for all their SSWAHS Community Health Centres including, presumably, the Bowral Community Health Centre.
Socrates suggests that what SSWAHS Executive is opting to do is to establish their existing Community Health Centres as the sort of "Super Clinics" which have been touted by the Federal Government and, mainly, by the various Divisions of General Practice. What will be the outcome one wonders? Will our Community Health Centre become the "Super Clinic" which has been sought by the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice? Will the Bowral Community Health Centre be handed over to Dr Warwick Ruscoe and Dr Vince Roche and the rest of the Board of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice?
And what will be the outcome for the staff of the Community Health Centre who are employed by SSWAHS? Will this new method of handing over the clinical responsibility to local general practitioners mean that SSWAHS will be downsizing its staff numbers in order to satisfy those who want to replace staff with machines the go "ping"!
Finally, what about the patients with a mental illness, don't they also have the right like all of us to choose the doctor to which they go to seek their continuing treatment? If they are forced to go to a doctor chosen by SSWAHS do they really have a choice?
As for the GPs in the Southern Highlands, how do they feel about the Southern Highlands Division or SSWAHS selecting a general practitioner to take away their patients from their practices. If they have developed a good rapport with their patients do they really want to hand over the clinical responsibility of their patients to someone who may, or may not, have the same level of skills and empathy as they have.
Dr Teresa Anderson, SSWAHS Director of Clinical Operations, wrote to the CEO of the Central Sydney GP Network, Dr Michael Moore, on 20 August, 2010 to request expressions of interest from their organisation, or individual general practitioners and/or their practices. The focus of the EOI is to provide medical services to patients with mental illnesses who attend the SSWAHS community health centres.
SSWAHS cites the current situation they have at Croydon and Redfern Community Health Centres. It would appear that they have plans to eventually roll this program out for all their SSWAHS Community Health Centres including, presumably, the Bowral Community Health Centre.
Socrates suggests that what SSWAHS Executive is opting to do is to establish their existing Community Health Centres as the sort of "Super Clinics" which have been touted by the Federal Government and, mainly, by the various Divisions of General Practice. What will be the outcome one wonders? Will our Community Health Centre become the "Super Clinic" which has been sought by the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice? Will the Bowral Community Health Centre be handed over to Dr Warwick Ruscoe and Dr Vince Roche and the rest of the Board of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice?
And what will be the outcome for the staff of the Community Health Centre who are employed by SSWAHS? Will this new method of handing over the clinical responsibility to local general practitioners mean that SSWAHS will be downsizing its staff numbers in order to satisfy those who want to replace staff with machines the go "ping"!
Finally, what about the patients with a mental illness, don't they also have the right like all of us to choose the doctor to which they go to seek their continuing treatment? If they are forced to go to a doctor chosen by SSWAHS do they really have a choice?
As for the GPs in the Southern Highlands, how do they feel about the Southern Highlands Division or SSWAHS selecting a general practitioner to take away their patients from their practices. If they have developed a good rapport with their patients do they really want to hand over the clinical responsibility of their patients to someone who may, or may not, have the same level of skills and empathy as they have.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
SSWAHS - Perhaps this is the answer to why they "(ex)-terminated" their staff.
Our health system basically 'broke'
By Clair Weaver and Linda Silmalis From: The Sunday Telegraph February 01, 2009
THE full extent of the disease plaguing the NSW health system can be revealed, with an analysis showing every one of the state's 220 public hospitals is either battling to pay bills, struggling to attract staff or short of beds.
Last month, the hospital, which constantly struggles with bed shortages, had an outbreak of the life-threatening superbug vancomycin-resistant enterococcus.
Cutbacks to food supplies meant patients would be denied proper nutrition, hindering their recovery, Dr Joseph said.
At Port Macquarie Hospital's oncology unit last week, patients had to wait in pain after morphine supplies ran out. A similar drama occurred at Dubbo.
``Morphine is not a very expensive drug to buy, so that's unacceptable,'' Dr Joseph said.
At Bowral Hospital, a lift was left broken for six weeks. Rubbish and tea trolleys had to be wheeled past surgeons and patients in operating theatres.
At Bathurst Hospital, a shortage of batteries means anaesthetic pumps cannot be operated. Nurses say they have to buy batteries to run equipment.
Dr Bruce McGarity, medical staff council chairman at Bathurst, said the hospital's bungled redevelopment was causing problems and staff feared vital repairs would be shelved because of the State's financial woes.
Delays in paying suppliers have reached critical levels, with businesses blacklisting hospitals.
A pathology supplier has put Westmead Hospital on ``credit hold'' until its bills are paid.
Doctors at Coffs Harbour Hospital are pleading for extra staff overnight to prevent ``unacceptable clinical risk'' to patients.
At Dubbo, running out of basic supplies is an ``everyday'' occurrence.
Dr Dean Fisher, medical staff council chairman at Dubbo, said almost half its doctors were looking for jobs outside the service.
A threatened strike by doctors over unpaid wages was aborted last week, but the Rural Doctors Association (RDA) said the issue remained unresolved.
``The centralised control of hospitals means nobody is accountable,'' Liberal health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner said. ``We are at ... a point where things could get out of control.''
Socrates says: "Do we need to say more? Is 2010 or 2011 going to be any better?"
By Clair Weaver and Linda Silmalis From: The Sunday Telegraph February 01, 2009
THE full extent of the disease plaguing the NSW health system can be revealed, with an analysis showing every one of the state's 220 public hospitals is either battling to pay bills, struggling to attract staff or short of beds.
Experts have told The Sunday Telegraph the health crisis has for the first time permeated the entire state, extending from major Sydney hospitals to rural and regional centres in Moree, Broken Hill and Albury.
Dr Brian Morton, president of the NSW branch of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said the state of the public health system had plunged to an unprecedented low.
"(The system) is basically broke and all the health services are in trouble,'' he said.
Among major problems blighting the system are:
* All of the eight area health services are facing major funding, staffing and supply shortages.
* New fears of deadly superbug outbreaks, as cleaning budgets are slashed across NSW, which already has Australia's highest rate of hospital-acquired infections.
* NSW Health's finances are a "significant problem'', according to the Auditor-General's Office, with a "large number of errors detected during the audit process'' as well as missed deadlines.
* Patients being denied basic drugs, medical supplies and quality food because of cost-cutting.
Dr Morton said some public hospitals in central Sydney claimed to have been coping. as recently six to 12 months ago.
"But we have since had them say they have got the same problems, as well, now - it's across the system,'' he said.
The public health scandal, set to derail further the already destabilised Rees government, has prompted a deluge of emails and calls from staff to The Sunday Telegraph.
According to one damning email, standards at one leading NSW hospitals have fallen so low that equipment meant for single use is being re-used.
The explosive email, sent by Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service shared services acting director Anne Green to staff on January 8, followed a pre-audit review at Royal North Shore Hospital.
Ms Green said surveyors found the infection control unit to be "under-resourced''.
"Single use items being re-used; instruments being washed in hand-basins,'' the email said. Other problems included untidy, cluttered and ``dirty'' treatment, drug stores and utility rooms.
Dr Tony Joseph, chairman of the medical staff council at Royal North Shore, said the hospital had slipped from the top 10 per cent in NSW, in accreditation ranking, to the bottom half.
Dr Joseph said that if single-use equipment was being re-used, it would be "a major concern".
"What they are doing to health services is a disgrace,'' he said.
Dr Joseph is worried about patients picking up dangerous, drug-resistant infections because of cutbacks to cleaning.Last month, the hospital, which constantly struggles with bed shortages, had an outbreak of the life-threatening superbug vancomycin-resistant enterococcus.
Cutbacks to food supplies meant patients would be denied proper nutrition, hindering their recovery, Dr Joseph said.
At Port Macquarie Hospital's oncology unit last week, patients had to wait in pain after morphine supplies ran out. A similar drama occurred at Dubbo.
``Morphine is not a very expensive drug to buy, so that's unacceptable,'' Dr Joseph said.
At Bowral Hospital, a lift was left broken for six weeks. Rubbish and tea trolleys had to be wheeled past surgeons and patients in operating theatres.
At Bathurst Hospital, a shortage of batteries means anaesthetic pumps cannot be operated. Nurses say they have to buy batteries to run equipment.
Dr Bruce McGarity, medical staff council chairman at Bathurst, said the hospital's bungled redevelopment was causing problems and staff feared vital repairs would be shelved because of the State's financial woes.
Delays in paying suppliers have reached critical levels, with businesses blacklisting hospitals.
A pathology supplier has put Westmead Hospital on ``credit hold'' until its bills are paid.
Doctors at Coffs Harbour Hospital are pleading for extra staff overnight to prevent ``unacceptable clinical risk'' to patients.
At Dubbo, running out of basic supplies is an ``everyday'' occurrence.
Dr Dean Fisher, medical staff council chairman at Dubbo, said almost half its doctors were looking for jobs outside the service.
A threatened strike by doctors over unpaid wages was aborted last week, but the Rural Doctors Association (RDA) said the issue remained unresolved.
``The centralised control of hospitals means nobody is accountable,'' Liberal health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner said. ``We are at ... a point where things could get out of control.''
Socrates says: "Do we need to say more? Is 2010 or 2011 going to be any better?"
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
SSWAHS and it's view of National Health Reform
SSWAHS created such a cute piece of spin for the Director-General of NSW Health to suggest what they might like to do with the Federally imposed carve-up of the current NSW Area Health Empires.
Here they used a powerpoint presentation to suggest the great achievements their Area based Clinical Divisions have launched in the old SSWAHS.
Take for example, their Population Health Area Network:
The other point to make is that it's been some years since we had anything like a health promotion staff member in the SSWAHS portion of the Southern Highlands. Again, a vacancy never to be filled. Is the Southern Highlands meant to be an urban or a rural area in the minds of the SSWAHS Executive, or is that little dot to the far south of the SSWAHS map on that cute presentation to the D-G still out of sight of Liverpool.
And here's the presentation of the achievements of the SSWAHS Mental Health Clinical Network:
This is the same Clinical Network who has still refused to answer some serious complaints about their failure to respond appropriately to complaints, about their service and their service providers, according to the NSW Health Code of Conduct.
This is the same network who, in 2009, had one of their Southern Highlands patients involved in the murder of another of their patients after both patients had been notified to the local service with a request to provide assistance.
Better recruitment and retention of staff is another bit of spin from SSWAHS. This is the organisation which spent an inordinate amount of time terminating, or getting resignations from, a number of clinical staff in their Area Mental Health Network.
Now, they have the temerity to say in their "Improved Service Delivery" that they have achieved the ability to support small community teams in rural areas, and their ability to rotate staff staff to local services with urgent shortfalls. Is that why they have made the Bowral Mental Health Service less effective by making part time their Welfare worker position, their Aboriginal Health worker position, and their Rehabilitation/Recovery Program Coordinator? Perhaps that fits into the plan for the SSWAHS Mental Health Network's "ability to rotate staff to local services with urgent shortfalls"! It certainly doesn't fit in with the SSWAHAS Mental Health Network's "ability to support small community teams in rural areas."
Again, from the "Improved Service Delivery" item the SSWAHS Mental Health Network states as an achievement "Access to Intensive, Sub-specialist and Tertiary services which could not be resourced at the local or district level." Well, I guess that if you mean by "access" that the local Southern Highlands Mental Health team still has to argue with Mental Health bed managers every time they have a need to transport someone with an acute mental illness to any of the inpatient facilities mentioned. The patient from the Southern Highlands could, currently, sit in the Emergency Department of Campbelltown Hospital for hours (or days) before being admitted to the hospital's Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre, or be shuffled around the other various facilities located at Campbelltown Hospital, or Liverpool Hospital, or RPH Hospital, or Concord Hospital.
However, don't think that's still a great response because if the proposed slice-up of the current SSWAHS Empire proceeds according to the LHNs that Southern Highlands mental health patient will only have access to the mental health facilities at Campbelltown and Liverpool Hospitals - so the wait just got longer and the Improved Service Delivery just went belly-up!
Go figure it! Perhaps the SSWAHS Mental Health Network should have been concentrating more on which of their so-called "Achievements" would be lost to the Southern Highlands, Macarthur, Wollondilly and Liverpool LGAs and their residents.
Here they used a powerpoint presentation to suggest the great achievements their Area based Clinical Divisions have launched in the old SSWAHS.
Take for example, their Population Health Area Network:
- Promoting Equity: Monitoring inequalities of health status and health service utilisation; targeted health promotion activities in disadvantaged areas.
- Focus on Primary Prevention: Critical mass enables health promotion activities to reduce risk factors.
- Regional Partnerships: Working with LGAs, Housing NSW, Landcom and other developers on urban development and regeneration.
- Promoting Evidence Based Practice: Healthy Urban Development Checklist.
- Population Health Based Service Planning: Population health principles incorporated into all service and facility plans.
- Capacity Building for Primary and Secondary Prevention: Health promotion traing course; Locational Disadvantage training course.
The other point to make is that it's been some years since we had anything like a health promotion staff member in the SSWAHS portion of the Southern Highlands. Again, a vacancy never to be filled. Is the Southern Highlands meant to be an urban or a rural area in the minds of the SSWAHS Executive, or is that little dot to the far south of the SSWAHS map on that cute presentation to the D-G still out of sight of Liverpool.
And here's the presentation of the achievements of the SSWAHS Mental Health Clinical Network:
- Improved Clinical and Corporate Governance: Standardised policies, procedures and care pathways/guidelines; Centralised application of specialist human resources across a whole network, achieving economies of scale; Timely implementation of state-wide initiatives.
- Improved Human Resource Management: Better recruitment and retention of staff because of clear identification with clinical specialty; Better support to registrar training especially since IMET initiative; Standardised education programs.
- Improved Service Delivery: Ability to support small community teams in rural areas; Access to intensive, Sub-specialist and Tertiary services which could not be resourced at the local or district level; Ability to promptly rotate staff to local services with urgent shortfalls; Improved planning of services and facilities to serve a regional population.
This is the same Clinical Network who has still refused to answer some serious complaints about their failure to respond appropriately to complaints, about their service and their service providers, according to the NSW Health Code of Conduct.
This is the same network who, in 2009, had one of their Southern Highlands patients involved in the murder of another of their patients after both patients had been notified to the local service with a request to provide assistance.
Better recruitment and retention of staff is another bit of spin from SSWAHS. This is the organisation which spent an inordinate amount of time terminating, or getting resignations from, a number of clinical staff in their Area Mental Health Network.
Now, they have the temerity to say in their "Improved Service Delivery" that they have achieved the ability to support small community teams in rural areas, and their ability to rotate staff staff to local services with urgent shortfalls. Is that why they have made the Bowral Mental Health Service less effective by making part time their Welfare worker position, their Aboriginal Health worker position, and their Rehabilitation/Recovery Program Coordinator? Perhaps that fits into the plan for the SSWAHS Mental Health Network's "ability to rotate staff to local services with urgent shortfalls"! It certainly doesn't fit in with the SSWAHAS Mental Health Network's "ability to support small community teams in rural areas."
Again, from the "Improved Service Delivery" item the SSWAHS Mental Health Network states as an achievement "Access to Intensive, Sub-specialist and Tertiary services which could not be resourced at the local or district level." Well, I guess that if you mean by "access" that the local Southern Highlands Mental Health team still has to argue with Mental Health bed managers every time they have a need to transport someone with an acute mental illness to any of the inpatient facilities mentioned. The patient from the Southern Highlands could, currently, sit in the Emergency Department of Campbelltown Hospital for hours (or days) before being admitted to the hospital's Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre, or be shuffled around the other various facilities located at Campbelltown Hospital, or Liverpool Hospital, or RPH Hospital, or Concord Hospital.
However, don't think that's still a great response because if the proposed slice-up of the current SSWAHS Empire proceeds according to the LHNs that Southern Highlands mental health patient will only have access to the mental health facilities at Campbelltown and Liverpool Hospitals - so the wait just got longer and the Improved Service Delivery just went belly-up!
Go figure it! Perhaps the SSWAHS Mental Health Network should have been concentrating more on which of their so-called "Achievements" would be lost to the Southern Highlands, Macarthur, Wollondilly and Liverpool LGAs and their residents.
Monday, September 20, 2010
SSWAHS and its abuse of correct procedure and policy. Caught out again!
Isn't this archival media just wonderful. Here is another gem that Socrates has found about the way in which SSWAHS has notoriously treated its staff when they wanted to downsize their organisation.
Employer's failure to follow policies unreasonable
Article written by Deacons.
"The Commission has ordered Sydney South West Area Health Services (SSWAHS) to pay an employee 26 weeks pay on the ground that his employment was terminated unreasonably during a process of restructure within the organisation. Despite the existence of a voluntary redundancy policy which applied in circumstances of restructure, SSWAHS failed to consider this as an option for the employee and instead attempted to coerce him into accepting positions of lesser grades. When the employee refused to accept these positions the SSWAHS purported to terminate his employment for reasons relating to performance going back 6 years."
This is not the first time that SSWAHS has used these immoral strategies to force people out of their positions. One instance Socrates has heard about was in late 2008 when one of their bullies (Mr SF) told an Allied Health Professional, who had arranged to see a private client after his work hours at a SSWAHS facility, that he'd be reported to ICAC and the AHP's Registration Board for Corrupt Conduct. The AHP chose instead to resign - never to be replaced!
Socrates also met another middle manager who worked in the child and adolescent mental health field in Campbelltown. That person was highly respected as a fair and reasonable manager. When a staff member made a complaint that she was "being bullied" by the manager (who was simply asking the person to do their work) the SSWAHS response was to send the same Mr SF to see the manager and threaten them with investigations and reporting to their professional registration board. The manager chose to resign - and, as far as can be ascertained - not replaced.
It seems that 2008 and 2009 was big year for "terminations" in SSWAHS. One senior manager stated confidentially that if they couldn't get them any other way it would be by using complaints and threats against their professional status, or the "discovery" of something inappropriate in the way in which they used the organisation's computer network.
Certainly, Ms J W, of SSWAHS was known to micro manage all the discharging and terminations of staff from the organisation. But that was her idea of Clinical Governance in SSWAHS.
Friday, September 17, 2010
SSWAHS and the Director General of NSW Health
Some may not know that the Director General of NSW Health was once the acting CEO of the SSWAHS predecessor South West Sydney AHS. She also spent some time in the same role in the Illawarra AHS before overseeing the big merger of Area Health Services to their current Imperial status.
With the light going on that there may be a change in the NSW parliament this is what Deb Picone has come out with. She wants our input - oh really! Read for yourself:
Below is a statement distributed today by the NSW Health Director-General, Professor Debora Picone. Croakey readers have already been in touch to say it looks like a case of deja vu. Or back to the future, perhaps…
“Today the Premier Kristina Keneally and the Deputy Premier and Minister for Health, Carmel Tebbutt have released a discussion paper proposing the establishment of 17 Local Health Networks in New South Wales.
You will recall that in April this year the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments (except WA) reached agreement to reform health care in Australia, to make our health system more sustainable, improve patient care through strengthened local decision-making and improve integration between Commonwealth and State Health Services.
The establishment of Local Health Networks (LHNs) are a key component in driving the implementation of the reforms. As you know, senior health officials and I have been holding forums around the State to seek the views of community, clinicians, and health managers on the best way to approach the creation of the LHNs.
We have used your feedback to develop criteria for the establishment of the networks and drafted a proposal that the Minister and I are now seeking your feedback on, along with that of community members and representative organisations.
The Discussion Paper represents the next significant step in the reform process and proposes 15 LHNs comprising a group of hospitals with geographical or functional links which will work closely with new Medicare Locals to ensure better integration of services. In addition there will be 2 specialist networks – the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (Randwick and Westmead)and Forensic Services.
The paper gives a practical outline of the responsibilities of LHNs including: local planning and delivery of clinical services, budget management, clinical governance, patient services, infection control and workforce management.
The paper also includes a commitment to ensure that some of the gains made in recent years such as clinical service networks and our focus on the health needs of the population continue. This reflects the very strong feedback of our clinicians.
Each LHN will have a Chief Executive and Governing Council which will comprise members with a variety of health, clinical, business and other skills. Local clinicians will be included in the membership of governing councils.
I would urge you to have a look at the paper (www.health.nsw.gov.au ) and ask that you provide us with your thoughts and comments over the next four weeks.
Once the boundaries are finalised we will be making the necessary changes to establish the Local Health Networks which will replace the current eight Area Health Services. It is anticipated the bulk of the changes will be in the senior levels of management.
Some key principles will underpin these changes including:
· No disruption to direct patient care services
· These changes will not result in reduction of front line staff
· Openness and transparency in providing information to staff
I am keen to minimise any disruption to you or your colleagues as we transition to the new structure. And I am committed to maintaining regular contact with you, as will your direct managers so as to keep you informed.
I recognise that the transition to LHNs presents some challenges but the scale of national health reform also provides us with great opportunities to improve our already world class health system so that we continue to deliver the best possible patient care.
This is an important time in NSW Health and your input is key in making the best decisions for our public health system. I will continue to meet with staff over the coming weeks and I look to forward to receiving your feedback.
Kind regards
Professor Debora Picone AM
Director-General
Well, Socrates hopes that the discussion does include some with the local communities to be affected by these changes. For so far, there hasn't been much except for those conversations with the sycophantic characters already jockeying for the new jobs or promoting their availability of being on the local clinical councils.
Somehow the process looks like any other NSW Health procedure. Keep it in-house as much as possible and keep the natives in the dark. Smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors!
As for not reducing front-line staff! Well that's a load of bull dung already. They've just spent a good part of 2009-10 getting rid of many front line staff by whatever means possible in the SSWAHS Empire. Just look at the number of existing staff doing more than one role and ask the SSWAHS Executive about the number of clinical staff they have run out the door.
As for "Openness and transparency in providing information to staff", it would be nice if, just for once, the SSWAHS Executive were open and transparent in providing information to the community they are meant to serve.
With the light going on that there may be a change in the NSW parliament this is what Deb Picone has come out with. She wants our input - oh really! Read for yourself:
Below is a statement distributed today by the NSW Health Director-General, Professor Debora Picone. Croakey readers have already been in touch to say it looks like a case of deja vu. Or back to the future, perhaps…
“Today the Premier Kristina Keneally and the Deputy Premier and Minister for Health, Carmel Tebbutt have released a discussion paper proposing the establishment of 17 Local Health Networks in New South Wales.
You will recall that in April this year the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments (except WA) reached agreement to reform health care in Australia, to make our health system more sustainable, improve patient care through strengthened local decision-making and improve integration between Commonwealth and State Health Services.
The establishment of Local Health Networks (LHNs) are a key component in driving the implementation of the reforms. As you know, senior health officials and I have been holding forums around the State to seek the views of community, clinicians, and health managers on the best way to approach the creation of the LHNs.
We have used your feedback to develop criteria for the establishment of the networks and drafted a proposal that the Minister and I are now seeking your feedback on, along with that of community members and representative organisations.
The Discussion Paper represents the next significant step in the reform process and proposes 15 LHNs comprising a group of hospitals with geographical or functional links which will work closely with new Medicare Locals to ensure better integration of services. In addition there will be 2 specialist networks – the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (Randwick and Westmead)and Forensic Services.
The paper gives a practical outline of the responsibilities of LHNs including: local planning and delivery of clinical services, budget management, clinical governance, patient services, infection control and workforce management.
The paper also includes a commitment to ensure that some of the gains made in recent years such as clinical service networks and our focus on the health needs of the population continue. This reflects the very strong feedback of our clinicians.
Each LHN will have a Chief Executive and Governing Council which will comprise members with a variety of health, clinical, business and other skills. Local clinicians will be included in the membership of governing councils.
I would urge you to have a look at the paper (www.health.nsw.gov.au
Once the boundaries are finalised we will be making the necessary changes to establish the Local Health Networks which will replace the current eight Area Health Services. It is anticipated the bulk of the changes will be in the senior levels of management.
Some key principles will underpin these changes including:
· No disruption to direct patient care services
· These changes will not result in reduction of front line staff
· Openness and transparency in providing information to staff
I am keen to minimise any disruption to you or your colleagues as we transition to the new structure. And I am committed to maintaining regular contact with you, as will your direct managers so as to keep you informed.
I recognise that the transition to LHNs presents some challenges but the scale of national health reform also provides us with great opportunities to improve our already world class health system so that we continue to deliver the best possible patient care.
This is an important time in NSW Health and your input is key in making the best decisions for our public health system. I will continue to meet with staff over the coming weeks and I look to forward to receiving your feedback.
Kind regards
Professor Debora Picone AM
Director-General
Well, Socrates hopes that the discussion does include some with the local communities to be affected by these changes. For so far, there hasn't been much except for those conversations with the sycophantic characters already jockeying for the new jobs or promoting their availability of being on the local clinical councils.
Somehow the process looks like any other NSW Health procedure. Keep it in-house as much as possible and keep the natives in the dark. Smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors!
As for not reducing front-line staff! Well that's a load of bull dung already. They've just spent a good part of 2009-10 getting rid of many front line staff by whatever means possible in the SSWAHS Empire. Just look at the number of existing staff doing more than one role and ask the SSWAHS Executive about the number of clinical staff they have run out the door.
As for "Openness and transparency in providing information to staff", it would be nice if, just for once, the SSWAHS Executive were open and transparent in providing information to the community they are meant to serve.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
SSWAHS and their staff.
Now you might think that old Socrates is just gnawing on the bones of SSWAHS with the previous posts on this blog. Happily, I can tell you that there's still a lot of meaty bits on the bones of SSWAHS as we will see in the future.
However, let me be quick to make the point about the SSWAHS staff, particularly those who live and work in the Southern Highlands. Generally, they are faultless - with a work ethic that would shame the SSWAHS executive and bureaucrats in Liverpool and beyond. Apart from the exception of the person described in an earlier post, they do their work and make do with the very little that the SSWAHS administration provides to them.
There are people in both Bowral Hospital and the Community Health Centre who have spent many years engaging with their community, listening to their community and delivering to the best of their abilities the sort of quality health services that local people have expected and needed. In fact, the reason that Bowral Hospital and the community health services have been financially supported by the local community and businesses, to purchase equipment and develop specialist services, has been because of the respect that the community has for their District Hospital and its staff. Nursing, medical, allied health, and hotel services staff have all contributed their best in the care they deliver to their patients.
Too bad the same cannot be said about the executive staff of SSWAHS who rarely, if ever, even visit the Southern Highlands and, when the proverbial faeces hits the fan, they vanish like smoke and leave it to the local General Manager, Denis Thomas, to cop the flack and give the hard answers. Socrates believes that Denis Thomas doesn't get paid enough for his job! SSWAHS has put him out there with a bullseye painted on his back and nothing but an expired Harry Potter wand in his hand.
One consolation the Highlander community can have is that generally all the Wingecarribee staff are usually supportive of each other (apart from a notable exception) and remain determined to provide their best clinical and other support service to the community.
Socrates, at least, will attempt in this democracy to make his vote count in the upcoming elections, both Federal and State, to ensure that Bowral Hospital and its health services get the recognition it deserves and the local management which will give the best direction to our future in the Highlands.
Long may our democratic rights remain, and may our collective votes ensure the future growth of our local community.
And, if the Gods are really listening, perhaps they would like to send a serve of the pox on the SSWAHS Executive. :-))
However, let me be quick to make the point about the SSWAHS staff, particularly those who live and work in the Southern Highlands. Generally, they are faultless - with a work ethic that would shame the SSWAHS executive and bureaucrats in Liverpool and beyond. Apart from the exception of the person described in an earlier post, they do their work and make do with the very little that the SSWAHS administration provides to them.
There are people in both Bowral Hospital and the Community Health Centre who have spent many years engaging with their community, listening to their community and delivering to the best of their abilities the sort of quality health services that local people have expected and needed. In fact, the reason that Bowral Hospital and the community health services have been financially supported by the local community and businesses, to purchase equipment and develop specialist services, has been because of the respect that the community has for their District Hospital and its staff. Nursing, medical, allied health, and hotel services staff have all contributed their best in the care they deliver to their patients.
Too bad the same cannot be said about the executive staff of SSWAHS who rarely, if ever, even visit the Southern Highlands and, when the proverbial faeces hits the fan, they vanish like smoke and leave it to the local General Manager, Denis Thomas, to cop the flack and give the hard answers. Socrates believes that Denis Thomas doesn't get paid enough for his job! SSWAHS has put him out there with a bullseye painted on his back and nothing but an expired Harry Potter wand in his hand.
One consolation the Highlander community can have is that generally all the Wingecarribee staff are usually supportive of each other (apart from a notable exception) and remain determined to provide their best clinical and other support service to the community.
Socrates, at least, will attempt in this democracy to make his vote count in the upcoming elections, both Federal and State, to ensure that Bowral Hospital and its health services get the recognition it deserves and the local management which will give the best direction to our future in the Highlands.
Long may our democratic rights remain, and may our collective votes ensure the future growth of our local community.
And, if the Gods are really listening, perhaps they would like to send a serve of the pox on the SSWAHS Executive. :-))
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