Call in the Feds!

SA Health a burning poo bag

SA Health’s recruitment division is a burning poo bag with poorly written position descriptions, idiotic and useless selection criteria and many recruiters sit on their hands. They’re weak and cowardly. It’s regional and outback clinics are in disarray with the most serious issues at Coober Pedy. This sick organisation must be investigated starting with management and HR.

As ICAC called it ‘Troubling Ambiguity: Governance in SA Health’

Below is the conclusion by Bruce Lander QC delivered in 2019. It is truer today. The bold text is mine.

“The insights that I have had have identified an inappropriate integrity culture for an organisation entrusted with administering substantial public resources and charged with delivering a critical public service.

I have said that maladministration and corruption in public administration are inextricably linked on a number of occasions.

As I have mentioned in this report, and publicly, I have embarked upon a number of investigations where I have suspected SA Health public officers have engaged in corruption but those investigations have been frustrated by SA Health’s poor record keeping and vague and ambiguous practices and policies.

On too many occasions I have been told at a senior level that SA Health cannot be sure whether the particular conduct had been condoned or tolerated.

Too many decisions appear to have been made for the sake of convenience, or to suit sectional interests, whilst insufficient regard has been had as to whether those decisions constitute an appropriate use of public funds.

Some parts of SA Health seem to have lost sight of the fact that the touchstone for the appropriate use of public funds is the public interest.

Existing governance and probity arrangements appear to be insufficient and characterised by vagueness and uncertainty. Ill-defined documents create environments in which poor conduct and bad administration are silently supported and allowed to flourish.

I would regard the situation in SA Health as one characterised by troubling ambiguity. Through years of experience, which is increasingly supported by research and academic evidence, it is known that dishonest and improper behaviour flourishes in situations where practices, policies and procedures are surrounded by ambiguity.

This report makes plain that the governance of this pressed-upon sector is ambiguous and uncertain, which is an unfavourable combination of factors for ensuring SA Health’s integrity.

Flexibility and responsiveness are necessary qualities for all public administration. But flexibility is not the same thing as ambiguity.

While SA Health does not have appropriate governance and administrative arrangements , A Health cannot be confident that the full level of clinical care is being delivered. The proper governance and administration of health services and excellent levels of clinical care are not either or propositions. The former helps support the achievement of the latter.

I am concerned that the governance and administrative arrangements in SA Health are ripe for exploitation by corrupt employees. I accept that for every employee who is failing to perform his or her duties there may well be many who are working hours for which they are not remunerated.

I accept that for every employee with private interests, that compromise their duties to public health, there may be many whose connections and affiliations advance policy and practice, and enhance the provision of public health services.”

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