The ACT government announced on Tuesday the split of ACT Health into two organisations a success despite being only two days into the restructure.
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On Monday the organisation was officially split into ACT Health, which will oversee governance of Canberra's health services, and Canberra Health Services, which will oversee Canberra Hospital and the clinical delivery of services.
Canberra Health Services interim chief executive Bernadette McDonald said her high priority was Canberra's timely access to care but would not expand on the reasons behind her predecessor Janet Anderson's shock departure.
ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris said it wasn't a solution to all of the problems facing Canberra's health system but still a significant and fundamental change.
"There won't be much change at all when you come and get the health care you need," Ms Fitzharris said.
"But of course there are major governance and structural changes."
Ms Fitzharris said the approach to the split was the success and ACT Health had faced many challenges in the lead-up to the split.
"Challenges come with making significant decisions to put in place and transform the fundamentals of our health system and those fundamentals have been governance, leadership, structure and culture," she said.
The government's head appointment to the newly created Canberra Health Services, Janet Anderson, quit just days after being announced as the chief executive.
Ms Anderson had never quit her former job in the Northern Territory and was replaced quickly by former Victorian health bureaucrat Bernadette McDonald.
But Ms McDonald will only serve as interim chief executive for six months while the government finds a full time replacement.
The Health Minister didn't expand on the circumstances surrounding Ms Anderson's shock departure, which continues to remain a mystery.
Ms McDonald said she was honoured to be given the opportunity to lead Canberra Health Services.
She had been approached for the position by the government and declined it due to family reasons, but now said circumstances had changed and she was able to step in as interim chief executive.
"I'd like to bring a bit of joy into the work and give them [staff] the positivity and support and leadership they need," Ms Anderson said.
Ms McDonald wouldn't comment on Ms Anderson's perceptions of Canberra Health Services before she quit.
She said problems health services faced included timely access to care, adding it was a high priority.
Ms McDonald's other priorities included the quality and safety of care in Canberra Health Services, which oversees Canberra Hospital.
ACT Health director general Michael De'Ath said the split would allow him to focus more on Canberra's health infrastructure and policies.
"I think we were trying to do too much as just one organisation," Mr De'Ath said.
"You could be in negotiations with the Commonwealth on health funding at one minute and then looking at something happening at a ward.
"That is a very, very large span of control for any one director general to have."
The split saw the creation of two new head positions for the two organisations with the top salaries split down the middle.
Ms Fitzharris said the cost of the transition had been met within the existing health budget and the staffing budgets had not been increased.
