Charlotte Varcoe
AFTER more than five years and a worldwide pandemic, chairperson of the Limestone Coast Local Health Network Grant King has resigned.
Serving as the chairperson of the board since its inception in 2019, Mr King led the health system across the Limestone Coast through many challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr King first joined the Mount Gambier and District Hospital board in 2003 where he also chaired the board for the private hospital and the health advisory council when it was introduced in 2008.
“I have been chairperson of the health network for nearly six years and a lot of it in the first instance was trying to set up the boards across the state and breaking down what each board needed,” Mr King said.
He said not long after the board was established did it face the Covid-19 pandemic which put a lot of extra pressure on the health system.
“It was an unusual lot of events as we had our emergency department triage tent and we were just trying to keep people out of the hospital to make sure we did not transmit Covid-19 through the air conditioning systems,” Mr King said.
“It was an unusual challenge and it was really different.”
He said the previous chief executive of the board Ngarie Buchanan was experienced in managing situations similar to Covid-19 which was an added benefit to the region.
“There were other challenges like getting the board established, getting systems in place and doing things like strategic plans, communication strategies, engagement strategies and all of that takes a lot of work,” Mr King said.
“The one thing which continues to be a challenge across the system and the nation is the workforce recruitment and that is a constant challenge.
“It is really interesting when you have a look at the way people’s lives change and how they make lifestyle choices now.”
He said in the workplace people would make choices meaning they were more mobile with many people doing things differently.
“The whole thing around the workforce is challenging because people are a bit more footloose and it is a challenging environment to try and make into a stable workforce,” he said.
Other challenges would include the constant issue of primary health care and people’s ability to access general practitioners.
“I look back now and I think the whole business model around how to access primary care and how that impacts the health service is generally a changing landscape,” Mr King said.
Despite the challenges, Mr King said there were a range of positives which had happened throughout his time on the health network board, including securing funds for the emergency department upgrade and absorbing the Keith District Hospital.
“The Keith hospital was probably not going to exist as it was under constant pressure,” Mr King said.
“The right thing to do was to look at that situation and have a look at that community and their needs and change the way we do business.”
He said the development of the Mount Gambier and District Hospital into a more metropolitan-based hospital was also a key moment during his time on the board.
“The Mount Gambier hospital acts and feels like a very small metropolitan hospital and we need to make sure that is well understood right across the system,” Mr King said.
“The government sees the hospital and how we use it here as a springboard to support the other smaller services around the region and it is really important we get that right.”
Mr King acknowledged Minister for Health Chris Picton and the SA government for the ongoing support of the Limestone Coast.
