The Health Minister has refused to guarantee that staffing levels will be maintained following Canberra Health Services (CHS) takeover of Calvary.

Shadow Minister for Health, Leanne Castley, today called on the government to guarantee that clinical services and staff numbers will not be affected by the compulsorily acquisition.

“My motion asked the Government to provide reassurances for patients, staff and Canberrans who have raised serious concerns about the government’s ability to manage this takeover and to guarantee continuity of staffing levels and clinical services standards,” Ms Castley said.

“Bizarrely the government said it would maintain the current standard of clinical services but wouldn’t guarantee to maintain current staffing levels.

“I fail to see how the government thinks it can maintain clinical standards without maintaining staffing levels.

“It concerns me that the government has not done any modelling, nor has any estimate of how many staff will choose not to transition to CHS.

“Three weeks after calling for Calvary’s 1,800 staff to reach out to CHS only 120 had done so.

“I find it astounding that the Minister refuses to provide any guarantee of maintaining staffing levels to reassure staff, patients and the community.”

“Instead, Canberrans are expected to trust a government with an abysmal track record of service and infrastructure delivery.

“This takeover has been secretive since its conception, and I am appalled that the government has doubled down on this reckless approach,” Ms Castley concluded.