Senior Queensland Health executive Richard Ashby, who led the eHealth Queensland division responsible for the integrated electronic medical record project, has resigned amid allegations of an undeclared personal relationship with a staff member and has been referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission.
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Queensland Health staff received an email from the department's director-general Michael Walsh announcing Dr Ashby's resignation on Thursday.
In a statement, Mr Walsh said he "expect[s] all of Queensland Health’s 90,000 staff to meet the highest possible standards".
"This morning, I provided allegations to a senior eHealth Queensland executive about a potential undeclared conflict of interest regarding an alleged relationship with a staff member involved with the Patient Administration System replacement," Mr Walsh said.
"The allegations are not related to the rollout of the state’s digital hospital system – the integrated electronic medical record (ieMR) system.
"The information has been referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission who is investigating.
"The Patient Administration System records and retrieves non-clinical related information about patients, and is not part of the ieMR project."
Health Minister Steven Miles said he had been advised of the allegations and supported Mr Walsh's actions.
"I have asked the director-general to reassess the scheduling of all major IT projects, including the Patient Administration System project," Mr Miles said.
"As this is still being assessed by relevant authorities, any further comment would be inappropriate."
Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said Dr Ashby's resignation was "too little too late".
"Dr Ashby has overseen the bungled rollout of the integrated electronic medical record system for several years, which has blown out by $256 million and clinicians’ concerns about patient safety have been ignored," Ms Bates said.
"Dr Ashby has also been subject to a lengthy Crime and Corruption Commission investigation for several months, following a Queensland Health ethical standards investigation.
“His resignation should not prevent the CCC investigation from being finalised."
Dr Ashby, who worked at Queensland Health for more than 20 years, moved to eHealth Queensland in 2017 after leading the Metro South Hospital and Health Service through the digital hospital project.
Mr Walsh acknowledged the senior bureaucrat's service over several decades.
"I have referred allegations relating to a senior executive of eHealth Queensland to the Crime and Corruption Commission," Mr Walsh's letter read.
"These allegations relate to an alleged undeclared conflict of interest in relation to the Patient Administration System replacement. The CCC is investigating.
"These allegations are not related to the rollout of the state's digital hospital system.
"I have directed that all work on the Patient Administration System replacement cease immediately.
"Today, Dr Richard Ashby resigned for personal reasons."
The resignation came after Brisbane Times revealed damning details of Queensland Health's roll-out of a contentious integrated electronic medical record, a separate IT project to the PAS.
The PAS is a 30-year-old software system which keeps track of patients and their treatments in hospitals and was planned to be replaced at a cost of $220 million.
eHealth Queensland had issued a limited tender for the project, which meant only certain companies were invited to submit a tender.
It is understood Cerner, the US medical giant that has a long-term contract with Queensland Health for the integrated electronic medical record, was invited to tender for that project.
The new patient administration system was intended to be in place by 2023.
In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, Mr Walsh said the health department would not proceed further with the current process for a replacement PAS.
"This will mean we will not have a replacement system in place as quickly as we’d like but the procurement must be beyond reproach," he said.
"I want to acknowledge the professionalism and work of the staff in the eHealth Queensland-based Patient Administration System replacement team."
Bruce Linaker, currently eHealth Queensland's chief solutions delivery officer, will act as chief executive of eHealth Queensland.
Do you know more? Contact Brisbane Times at brisbanetimesinvestigates@protonmail.com
