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MARION VAN DIJK / Things
Nelson-Marlborough Health CEO Dr. Peter Bramley will assume the highest permanent position at the CDHB.
The new executive director of the Canterbury board of health has assumed “a poisoned chalice” by leading the country’s most indebted and rebellious health board, health commentators say.
Nelson-Marlborough DHB Head Dr. Peter Bramley will take office on the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) on February 15th.
CDHB Board Chairman Sir John Hansen said Bramley had handled a “wide range of challenging scenarios and has a proven track record of achieving large-scale transformation.”
“Importantly, Peter is aware of our financial situation and knows there are many challenges and opportunities ahead,” Hansen said.
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Bramley took over the gap as CDHB’s acting chief executive officer (CE) in August after the sudden resignation of former boss David Meates and six other executive team managers.
In October, Bramley returned to Nelson-Marlborough and handed over the interim EC role in Canterbury to Andrew Brant, Deputy Executive Director of the Waitematā District Health Board (WDHB).
The Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS), Sarah Dalton, wished Bramley the best, but said she had taken on a daunting task to meet the demands of the board and the Ministry of Health to reduce the deficit of $ 180 million without cutting services.
“It’s a tough job, I think.”
Supplied
Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, believes Bramley will have a tough job.
Stuff understands that pressure from the board and the Ministry of Health due to the financial difficulties of the organization are behind Meates’ resignation.
Meates publicly blamed the government for the deficit days before his departure.
Former medical director Sue Nightingale, who ended up at the organization on Dec. 18, said that a confrontational approach by the board toward the management team was behind her decision to resign.
Dalton said Hansen did not understand his obligations to the people of Canterbury and unless he and the board changed their leadership style, Bramley would have a hard time succeeding.
“I would say a big challenge for Peter would be to encourage the board to focus a little more on the people he serves and to be a little more open in the way he does business and communicates his decision making.”
Canterbury Charity Hospital founder and surgeon Phil Bagshaw said Bramley had taken a “poisoned goblet.”
“The waters are so murky that no one can see the way forward, there is a feeling that it has no leaders.”
George heard / things
Phil Bagshaw, founder of the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust, says the role of the CDHB CEO is a “poisoned chalice.”
It is understood that of the short list for the CEO position, two candidates were local and two were based abroad.
Bramley started at Nelson-Marlborough in 2010 as director of medical and surgical services. In August 2016, he became interim CEO and was appointed to the position permanently in 2017.
He said he was looking forward to moving to Canterbury where he would also be responsible for the West Coast DHB.
JOSEPH JOHNSON / THINGS
Canterbury DHB staff protest outside the board’s corporate offices after a series of resignations from executive teams and a proposal to make cuts to save funds. (Video first posted on August 20, 2020)
“Both of them [DHBs] They have a wealth of talent and both have complex but different challenges. With fantastic teams to work with on both sides of the Alps, I know we can achieve great things.
“After a period of transition, I look forward to bringing some stability and leadership to the teams.”
James Gough, a CDHB board member, said he was delighted with Bramley’s appointment.
“It’s also just the news that I think people need right before Christmas, especially given the challenges of 2020.”
Gough said that Bramley instilled confidence in the board during the interview process that he had the skills, intelligence and motivation to improve the financial performance of the organization.
John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
James Gough, a member of the Canterbury District Health Board, said he was delighted with the appointment of Peter Bramley as the new executive director of CDHB.
While not the primary consideration, Gough said Bramley’s experience meant that he could manage a potential South Island DHB merger, if a recommendation to reduce the number of DHBs from Heather Simpson Health System Review were implemented.
Gough said he felt the CDHB had “a long way to go” but had “turned a corner” and the appointment of Bramley was a positive sign.
He said the board believes significant savings can be made and the deficit reduced with the right person at the helm.
“That is not an accusation or a slight to any of the previous regimes, but I think that when you have been there for a long time it is challenging to see things through a new lens and criticize what happened in the past.
