Latest news with #MedicalStaffCouncil
The Age
12 hours ago
- Health
- The Age
Sydney hospital boss resigns after cancer diagnosis delays revealed
The boss of one of Sydney's busiest health districts has resigned after it emerged patients with cancer were waiting up to a year for essential procedures due to a massive backlog of cases. Less than an hour before they were due to move a vote of no confidence in Western Sydney Local Health District chief executive Graeme Loy, doctors at Westmead Hospital received an email from NSW Health secretary Susan Pearce informing them Loy would be leaving the position next week. 'Graeme has been a passionate advocate for western Sydney, committed to championing key reforms in digital health, integrated care, and workforce development,' Pearce wrote, crediting his role in managing the COVID-19 pandemic in western Sydney, and operating the state's largest vaccination hub at Qudos Bank Arena. Loy has held the position for seven years, overseeing the development of the Westmead Health and Innovation Precinct, and early planning and design for a new hospital at Rouse Hill. Dozens of senior doctors had gathered at Westmead on Thursday evening for an urgent special meeting to vote on a no-confidence motion in Loy, after this masthead revealed at least 21 patients had their cancer diagnoses delayed as the hospital's waitlist for endoscopies surpassed more than 3300 people. Medical Staff Council deputy chair Jenny King told doctors in a letter on Tuesday that multiple members had requested to meeting to 'address serious concerns regarding the management' of Westmead and propose a vote of no confidence in Loy. Loading 'You will all be aware the MSC has advocated for many years for improvement in patient care including excessive delays in clinic review, procedures and surgical admissions,' King wrote. 'This has been a particular concern for those patients with a positive faecal occult blood screen.' The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program recommends a patient with a positive result from the blood stool test should undergo a colonoscopy within 30 days.
Sydney Morning Herald
12 hours ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney hospital boss resigns after cancer diagnosis delays revealed
The boss of one of Sydney's busiest health districts has resigned after it emerged patients with cancer were waiting up to a year for essential procedures due to a massive backlog of cases. Less than an hour before they were due to move a vote of no confidence in Western Sydney Local Health District chief executive Graeme Loy, doctors at Westmead Hospital received an email from NSW Health secretary Susan Pearce informing them Loy would be leaving the position next week. 'Graeme has been a passionate advocate for western Sydney, committed to championing key reforms in digital health, integrated care, and workforce development,' Pearce wrote, crediting his role in managing the COVID-19 pandemic in western Sydney, and operating the state's largest vaccination hub at Qudos Bank Arena. Loy has held the position for seven years, overseeing the development of the Westmead Health and Innovation Precinct, and early planning and design for a new hospital at Rouse Hill. Dozens of senior doctors had gathered at Westmead on Thursday evening for an urgent special meeting to vote on a no-confidence motion in Loy, after this masthead revealed at least 21 patients had their cancer diagnoses delayed as the hospital's waitlist for endoscopies surpassed more than 3300 people. Medical Staff Council deputy chair Jenny King told doctors in a letter on Tuesday that multiple members had requested to meeting to 'address serious concerns regarding the management' of Westmead and propose a vote of no confidence in Loy. Loading 'You will all be aware the MSC has advocated for many years for improvement in patient care including excessive delays in clinic review, procedures and surgical admissions,' King wrote. 'This has been a particular concern for those patients with a positive faecal occult blood screen.' The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program recommends a patient with a positive result from the blood stool test should undergo a colonoscopy within 30 days.
ABC News
15 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
Doctors at Westmead Hospital to hold vote of no confidence in health district chief executive, amid delayed cancer scans
Doctors at Sydney's Westmead Hospital are calling for their chief executive to stand down over allegations of patient safety concerns and delayed cancer diagnoses. In a letter sent to hospital staff, the Medical Staff Council said it plans to hold a vote of no confidence in Western Sydney Local Health District's chief executive, Graeme Loy, on Thursday evening. Senior doctors say for the past five years they have raised concerns about unacceptable clinic wait times for routine scans that can detect preventable cancers, with some patients waiting up to three years. "You will be aware that the [Medical Staff Council] has advocated for many years for improvement in patient care including excessive delays in clinic review, procedures and surgical admissions," deputy chair of the Westmead Medical Staff Council Jenny King wrote in the letter. "This has been a particular concern for those patients with a positive faecal occult blood screen. "The issue of failure to provide care for those patients at high-risk malignancy has long been documented," Dr King wrote. Western Sydney Local Health District, Health Minister Ryan Park and NSW Health have been contacted for comment. The revolt among staff came after the dismissal of Westmead's head of gastroenterology department, Jacob George, last week, who raised concerns with management about the lengthy wait times. One senior doctor at Westmead, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, believed Professor George's dismissal was retaliation for speaking out. "For many years we have been struggling to have our concerns listened to, and the executive has been aware," the doctor said. The ABC understands wait times have impacted cancer diagnosis screenings in several departments including cardio, renal, dermatology and gastroenterology. The senior doctor said the delays could mean hundreds of patients who have cancer are in the dark about their disease, or receive late diagnoses. "It's a major risk and it's something we shouldn't be letting people down on," the doctor said. "If you have a possible cancer, we like to get a colonoscopy done within 30 days, but patients are waiting months, and the risk is the cancer has disseminated." Kathryn Austin, Australian Medical Association NSW president, said the issues were symptomatic of a lack of investment in staffing in public hospitals. "There has not been the investment in workforce that we need and the workforce is who deliver the care to patients," she said. "It's a sad state of affairs that it's come to this point and the clinical concerns haven't been addressed." A vote of no confidence has no binding power and does not mean Mr Loy will be dismissed from this role if passed. But the senior doctor said the significance of an unanimous vote would be hard to ignore. "If we don't win, the whole of public health is threatened," the senior doctor said.
