Shape of things to come?

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

Queensland Health director-general Uschi Schreiber met the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital's new clinical chief executive officer Thomas Ward and director of nursing Lesley Fleming yesterday.

The meeting was called after Dr Ward sacked Ms Fleming on Thursday and gave her five minutes to clear out her desk.

She was reinstated several hours later and Dr Ward was forced to apologise and admit he did not have "a clear grasp of the industrial relations processes within Queensland Health".

Dr Ward only started the job three weeks ago.

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/story/0,20797,19645441-5003426,00.html

The unofficial word I have heard regarding this is very very disturbing. Fortunately the union still has SOME muscle and managed to reverse this decision.

[jax]

I heard this news over the radio and was quite stunned. I presume this is all part of a greater plan - would love to know what that is. Gwenith, any ideas?

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

Jax - this is starting to smell a little like Dr Patel part 2. A google search does not throw up the amount of information you would expect from someone who claims to have the experience he is purported to have.

I have found this

http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Ward_Thomas_63651965.htm

As the Deputy Minister of Health in the Nova Scotia Department of Health, Dr. Ward successfully led that province toward an integrated, community-based approach to health services, with a commitment to primary care renewal and population health. Prior to this role, Dr. Ward was Senior Consultant in the British Columbia Ministry of Health. In addition, he gained extensive hospital experience as President and CEO at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver and more recently the Scarborough Hospital in Toronto. In addition to his national consulting work, he has international experiences including work with the World Bank, in Croatia.

and this http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:JwZgPBYQqjYJ:www.health.nsw.gov.au/amwac/amwac/pdf/8sess1_ward.pdf+dr+thomas+ward+canada&hl=en&gl=au&ct=clnk&cd=10&client=firefox-a

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:n72nQVs9V8YJ:www.cwhn.ca/resources/gba/CRTIposter.pdf+dr+thomas+ward+canada&hl=en&gl=au&ct=clnk&cd=12&client=firefox-a

but I have to say that for someone with the sort of background claimed in that first article he is not exactly all over the net and he SHOULD be. I left a question in the Canadian forum but so far no one seems to have heard of him - stranger and stranger.

[Grace Oz]

Hmmmm, the question needs to be asked: WHY are we employing these foreign blokes in the first place???!!!! Is it really that bad here, that we cannot fill these positions from WITHIN Australia?

I'm SO glad she was reinstated! Validates why we NEED unions!

[joannep]

Oh my god, what the heck was he thinkin??? (as dr phil would say) and why is it always queensland that has funny things happen??

Is it the heat affecting their thought processes

(joke, ok gwenith, its freezing in melbourne)

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

Oh my god, what the heck was he thinkin??? (as dr phil would say) and why is it always queensland that has funny things happen??

Is it the heat affecting their thought processes

(joke, ok gwenith, its freezing in melbourne)

Hey! It gets cold here - why just the other day the thermometer dipped under 30 degrees!!!

This is soooooo disturbing. I and others know that there are issues at the RBH - but it is one of the beggest hospitals anywhere so of COURSE there are some issues. Could the nursing service be improved? - Yes it could but from personal experience the improvement could come from a more proactive and active QA department and a little less of "We are the RBH so we are right" type of thinking. But that is just one person's opinion - lots of others do not agree with me and I am sure there will be those who will tell me so.