New SA Well being boss beneath hearth from MPs

SA Well being’s new chief govt has apologised to MPs after she was accused of making an attempt to “pull witnesses” throughout her first spherical of questioning earlier than a parliamentary committee.

SA Well being chief Dr Robyn Lawrence made her first look earlier than parliament’s Finances and Finance Committee this morning, but it surely was the absence of two of her understudies which sparked controversy.

InDaily understands that up till this morning, MPs who sit on the committee anticipated Lawrence’s deputies Don Frater and Lynne Cowan to additionally reply questions, however the pair didn’t present as much as the listening to.

Lawrence was as an alternative joined by SA Well being’s company methods and assist providers deputy chief govt Julienne Tepohe.

That prompted anger from opposition and crossbench committee members, who had deliberate to ask Cowan – who served as appearing SA Well being chief govt up till Lawrence’s appointment two weeks’ ago – a collection of questions on ambulance ramping and the brand new Girls’s and Youngsters’s Hospital.

“Are we going to count on as a committee that you just and the division will pull witnesses from showing earlier than a committee while you see match?” SA Finest MLC Frank Pangallo requested Lawrence.

“I recognize the truth that you’ve solely been right here for 2 weeks, which might be why we’d have appreciated a number of the different members of SA Well being being right here.

“There could be questions that we’d have for them that you just wouldn’t have the ability to reply and you would need to tackle discover.”

Lawrence mentioned she determined to not ship Cowan and Frater to the listening to after shut of enterprise on Friday.

She mentioned she advised Well being Minister Chris Picton “late on Friday afternoon” that she was contemplating not sending Cowan and Frater, however he left it as much as her to make the choice.

“My apologies,” she mentioned.

“I believe from right here going ahead I’ll be way more conscious of this course of and likewise guarantee that those that I nominate to attend will attend with me.”

Pangallo requested Lawrence whether or not she thought-about telling the committee about her resolution to not ship Cowan and Frater.

“My apologies,” she repeated.

“It was very late on Friday afternoon after I turned my thoughts to what I’d be doing this morning and effectively after the committee would have been closed – it was effectively after 5pm.

“I settle for that this isn’t acceptable to the committee.”

In response to a query by the committee’s chair and Liberal MLC Heidi Girolamo earlier within the listening to, Lawrence mentioned she selected to not ship Cowan and Frater as a result of she “needed to supply sufficient alternative for me to reply questions in a comparatively brief assembly”.

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“The group has a spread of different issues to progress,” she mentioned.

Lawrence beforehand labored as WA Well being’s assistant director common of scientific excellence earlier than taking up from Cowan on September 12.

It comes after the Malinauskas Authorities in April terminated former SA Well being boss Chris McGowan in a widespread shakeup of the public service.

Since her appointment, Lawrence has spoken out concerning the ongoing challenges SA Well being faces tackling ambulance ramping and emergency division blockages.

Horrible within the RAH ED 56 admitted sufferers ready for a mattress in response to ED dashboard and medical doctors requesting one other security inspection @SAHealth @SafeWorkSA

— SASMOA (@sasmoa4doctors) September 26, 2022

Throughout this morning’s listening to, she mentioned considered one of her first aims could be to scale back ambulance ramping again to 2018 ranges, however she was unable to say what these ranges have been.

“I’ve been given a transparent mandate to deal with ambulance ramping and enhance entry to care in South Australian hospitals for all South Australians,” she mentioned.

“Whereas I’m conscious of the challenges which can be forward of us, I’m additionally conscious that South Australia has a world famend well being system that’s supported by distinctive medical doctors, nurses, paramedics, allied well being and different assist workers.”