Western Sydney Health CEO Resigns After Backlash Over 1-Year Wait Times For Cancer Patients
Image: Westmead Hospital (left), Graeme Loy (right)
Graeme Loy, the CEO of Western Sydney Local Health District, has stepped down after it was revealed that cancer patients were facing waits of up to a year for essential procedures due to a massive backlog in the system.
His resignation came less than an hour before doctors were due to move a vote of no-confidence against the former executive.
The escalating pressure on Sydney’s health services has dealt another blow, with a group of interventional radiologists at Westmead Hospital resigning due to overwhelming workloads and the mounting strain of the backlog.
Loy was appointed CEO, WSLHD in December 2018 and led the evolution of Westmead and Blacktown hospitals with two major projects, including the opening of Blacktown Hospital’s acute services building and Westmead Hospital’s 14-storey central acute services building.
He joined the Sydney Local Health District as Chief Executive for a brief time last year after Teresa Anderson resigned following a vote of no confidence by doctors at Concord hospital.
Westmead Doctors Propose Vote of No-Confidence Against Graeme Loy
Jenny King, deputy chair of the Medical Staff Council, informed doctors in a letter on Tuesday that several members had requested a meeting to “address serious concerns regarding the management” of Westmead and to propose a vote of no-confidence in CEO Graeme Loy, as previously reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.
“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. This has been a particular concern for those patients with a positive faecal occult blood screen,” King wrote in her letter.
If patients return a positive screening test result or have higher-risk symptoms including blood in faeces or rectal bleeding, they are required to receive an urgent referral and have a colonoscopy within 30 days, as recommended by the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.
However, no patient at Westmead had been diagnosed within the 30 day time frame, with many even exceeding the 120-day maximum waiting time recommended by the Cancer Council.
It has been more than 15 years since doctors at Westmead have passed a no-confidence vote.
King’s letter indicated that the backlog had been documented on the health district’s “risk list” and the council had presented several proposals to manage the backlog but they had yet to be “acted upon”.
Team of Interventional Radiologists at Westmead Resign
In addition, the entire team of interventional radiologists at Westmead has resigned after failing to reach an agreement with hospital executives.
Westmead Hospital now faces the possibility of having no interventional radiology services starting July 8, unless a resolution is reached.
Interventional radiologists are medical doctors who specialise in minimally invasive, image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions. Procedures can include biopsies, drainage, foreign body removal, angiographies, and angioplasties, among others.
One doctor, who asked to remain anonymous, told the ABC that without interventional radiologists the hospital would struggle to run a range of essential services, like trauma surgeries and high-end obstetric care.
Another doctor who spoke to the ABC said the team of 10 interventional radiologists tendered their resignations around two weeks ago after raising concerns for over four years.
The unit currently has two angiography machines, both over 15 years old, with one already broken down. These machines are crucial for imaging blood vessels.
Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) has initiated an independent review to prioritise patients on their waitlists, particularly those facing significant delays for procedures or diagnoses.
This review aims to identify individuals who require urgent attention and ensure they receive timely appointments, with the district expecting to contact patients within the next three months to confirm their updated appointment status, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) has been contacted for comment.
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