Tuesday 11 April 2017
Hansard of the Legislative Council

Launceston General Hospital - Chief Executive Officer

Mr FINCH (Rosevears) to ACTING LEADER of the GOVERNMENT in the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Mrs HISCUTT

[2.46 p.m.]

(1)  Can the Government assure the people of northern Tasmania that the Launceston General Hospital has a full-time and appropriately qualified chief executive officer?

(2)  Given the size, complexity and importance of the Launceston General Hospital, can the Government explain how it is being managed?

(3)  If the LGH does not have a full-time and appropriately qualified CEO, can the Government say when it will be properly managed?

ANSWER

Mr President, I thank the member for Rosevears for his question.  There is a single chief executive officer role across the Tasmanian Health Service, including the Launceston General Hospital, which has been in place since the THS inception on 1 July 2015, almost two years ago.

The THS, its CEO and its executive are all based in Launceston.  The CEO of the THS and the LGH is Dr David Alcorn, who has decades of experience in hospital management and administration.  Dr Alcorn appeared at the Legislative Council Estimates committee last year and the Minister for Health would be pleased to introduce the member for Rosevears to Dr Alcorn if he has not yet had the opportunity to meet him.

Executive management and leadership of the Launceston General Hospital is provided by fulltime group director of clinical operations, with day-to-day senior management responsibilities undertaken by a range of skilled and experienced clinical nursing, allied health and medical directors.