Acting DHB CEO Should Not Have Been Given The Job

18 March 2005

Acting DHB CEO Should Not Have Been Given The Job

The appointment of West Coast DHB board member Glenys Baldick as acting ceo of the DHB contravenes the stated criteria of the Ministry of Health concerning conflicts of interest, according to the Democrats’ social issues researcher and former West Coast board member, David Tranter.

When Annette King appointed Mrs. Baldick to the West Coast board last year, Health Ministry manager governance Bruce Anderson was quoted in The News (Westport) 1.12.04 as follows; “Mrs. Baldick could not have been considered for the Nelson Marlborough board because of the potential conflict of interest of her being the organisation’s past chief executive”.

Yet the Ministry - and obviously Annette King - are now turning a blind eye to an even more serious conflict of interest since the West Coast situation involves, not merely a past DHB position held by Mrs. Baldick, but involves her jumping from the current board to head the corporate office – and then back to the board again when a new ceo is appointed, Mr. Tranter said.

The fact that no-one in the Grey Hospital corporate office was considered capable of filling the role of acting ceo must also raise questions as to the standard of mangement there.

The West Coast DHB’s musical chairs game is the clearest evidence yet of the widely recognised situation whereby there is no meaningful demarcation between the so-called “governance” role of DHB boards and the “management” role of the DHB corporate offices. The Democrat Party calls for government to introduce measures to ensure that the board/management conflicts of interest previously identified by the Ministry of Health do not arise again Mr. Tranter said.

ENDS

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