Taxpayers bear brunt of health executive roles blowout

Answers to questions on notice recently tabled in the Legislative Assembly showed ACT Health was the only directorate to have a significant number of extra executive positions created last financial year.

The number of executive health positions - which pay between $153,125 and $364,398 per year - jumped from 30 to 43 in one year.

Further analysis showed taxpayers were slugged at least $8,196,834.2 for the top paid members of ACT Health last year, up 33 per cent from 2016/17 when the bill totalled $6,144,752.

It comes as doctors and nurses continue to be locked in EBA negotiations with the government.

ACT Health will be split into two organisations on October 1.

Fairfax Media asked Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris if the costs would blow out even further with the new departments but the question was not answered.

Her spokeswoman instead said the blowout in costs was due to an "improvement agenda", including the territory-wide Health Services program, the system-wide data review and major infrastructure projects.

"Health is a top priority for the community and the ACT government," she said.

"ACT Health is one of the largest directorates across government and the biggest employer, with more than 7000 employees.

"The overall number of executive staff outlined in the question on notice includes those at Canberra Hospital and Health Services, who play an important function managing the clinical services provided across our health facilities.

"In order to achieve this volume of work, additional executive staff were engaged to drive the improvement program and specific projects.

"As a result of a form and function review more recently, there has been a decrease in deputy director-general positions and in addition there are several executive contracts ceasing over the coming months as priority projects are completed.

"ACT Health is currently in the process of undertaking transition work related to the separation of the Directorate into two organisations.

"Staffing the two organisations is a key priority and significant workforce planning is underway in preparation for the split which comes into effect on 1 October 2018. ACT Health will still be required to operate within its current budget."

Liberal spokeswoman for health Vicki Dunne said the jump in senior staffing levels had not resulted in improvement of services.

“Canberrans have been let down by the ACT’s health system for years thanks to the mismanagement of ACT Labor," she said.

"These figures show a systematic failure from a long line of Labor health ministers who have delivered the most expensive health system in the country while ensuring that it continues to underperform.

"The current minister doesn’t have a clue. She had a chance to turn things around by the delivery of a new infrastructure plan but she abandoned that for an ill-thought through restructure which will cost money but not deliver better services.”