Calvary Public Hospital in Canberra’s north has introduced a temporary hiring freeze after posting a loss of almost $5 million last financial year.
In a statement the National CEO of Calvary Mark Doran said the organisation was absorbing the cost-overrun and there would be no impact for tax payers or the ACT Government.
“The disappointing financial performance of Calvary Health Care Bruce last year is something we are actively working to address, and we remain committed to the provision of safe, effective and high quality health services to our community,” he said.
The hospital in Bruce is operated by not-for-profit Little Company of Mary Health Care, on behalf of the ACT Government.
ACT Health has issued the following statement:
At the end of the 2013-2014 financial year, Calvary Hospital identified pressures from the 2013-14 financial year which they are now working to mitigate for the 2014-15 financial year.
In line with this, ACT Health is currently negotiating the 2014-15 performance agreement with Calvary.
Earlier this year the hospital’s CEO Ray Dennis and its chief financial officer resigned suddenly, prompting speculation the campus was in financial trouble.
But Mr Doran said the challenges faced by Calvary Hospital were not unique to the ACT, and were the same as those faced by health and hospital services around Australia.
Mr Doran said it was important to recognise that 2031-14 had also been a year of significant achievements for the Bruce hospital, with the opening of the Calvary Birth Centre, the Calvary Stroke Service and a rapid medical assessment and planning unit.
“These new services offer people expert care and timely access to treatment, and have significantly expanded and enriched public hospital services in the ACT,” he said.