Anyone reading the departing CEO’s LinkedIn post could be forgiven for thinking everything is beer and skittles.
Twenty-four hours after the resignation of Cohealth CEO Nicole Bartholomeusz we are no closer to clarity around the organisation’s future.
Ms Bartholomeusz took to LinkedIn late yesterday to confirm her resignation, prompting a flood of positivity from some big names across the sector.
“What has mattered most has been keeping care at the centre of everything we do,” she wrote.
“We’ve focused on care that is continuous, not episodic, and on making our services safe and accessible, particularly for vulnerable communities who are least served by mainstream health systems.
“With Cohealth’s 2025–2035 Strategy now in place, the organisation has a clear direction for the next decade.”
Is it just me, or does that all have the waft of reality denial about it?
The reality is Cohealth has been embroiled in controversy after announcing the closure of GP and other services at several Melbourne clinics serving vulnerable patients, just weeks after the launch of that 2025-2025 strategy, which included GP services, by the way.
The organisation says its model of complex care is financially unsustainable under Medicare, leaving it with a multimillion-dollar shortfall, but critics have questioned its governance and financial management.
The crisis prompted federal intervention, emergency funding and an independent review into the organisation’s operations and funding model.
The review, led by esteemed health economist Professor Stephen Duckett, was due to report a couple of Saturdays ago, but was extended to an unknown date some time this month.
Not to mention the sacking of counsellors six days before Christmas and the closure of the independent pharmacy at the end of January.
This reporter shot off a cheeky email to Professor Duckett this morning, based on the theory that if you don’t ask you don’t get. He replied – with his usual dry wit and impeccable manners – by pointing out that as everyone seemed to know everything anyway, he didn’t feel the need to comment.
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A similar request to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing produced this reply from a spokesperson:
“The independent review of Cohealth’s general practice and related services is in its final stages. The findings of the review will be considered in line with the review’s Terms of Reference.”
Meanwhile, in her email to Cohealth staff yesterday, Ms Bartholomeusz said she would be around until Friday 1 May and would work with acting CEO and deputy Chris Turner to ensure a smooth transition.
This afternoon a spokesperson for Cohealth gave The Medical Republicthe following statement:
“The Board has commenced an open recruitment process to appoint the next Chief Executive.
The role will be publicly advertised, and the Board will oversee the recruitment and appointment process.
“The current CEO is not involved in this process, and the Board has not identified a preferred candidate.”
The spokesperson said Cohealth had not ceased providing GP services to the community, but had “announced the closure of three GP clinics”.
“GPs continue to work as part of multidisciplinary teams across Cohealth’s 40 locations in the north and west of Melbourne and Tasmania,” they said.
The spokesperson also emphasised that Ms Bartholomeusz’s resignation was “not connected to the independent review”.
TMRin no way implies that Ms Bartholomeusz is directly, or personally, responsible for the apparent chaos at Cohealth, but the huge elephant in the room, of course, is the timing of her resignation.
Despite the above denial, the timing is at best unfortunate, and prompts a few other questions – has the report been delayed to give her a chance to resign and a replacement found? Is she, in the words of former Nationals leader David Littleproud, just buggered?
