Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service chief executive Beverley Hamerton has resigned.
BEVERLEY Hamerton, the long-time CEO of the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service has resigned with almost immediate effect.
Her last day will be tomorrow, Friday, June 23.
Ms Hamerton’s resignation comes following the death of a two-year-old girl at Bamaga Hospital a week ago. NPARC mayor Patricia Yusia claimed it was a “preventable death”.
Ella Kris, the chair of the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health board, said Ms Hamerton was resigning for personal reasons.
“It is with deep regret that I announce the resignation of our long-time health service chief executive Beverley Hamerton,” she said in a statement.
“Ms Hamerton has advised she is resigning for personal reasons, effective from 23 June.
“The board and I have accepted her resignation and respect her desire for privacy at this time. Ms Hamerton has been chief executive since April 2018 and prior to that appointment she had served with the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service as Executive General Manager South (Cape York).”
Beverley Hamerton at the opening of Weipa’s new CT scanner in September 2021.
Ms Hamerton was praised for the region’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak and for reducing the number of cases throughout Cape York and the Torres Strait.
However, in more recent times, she has faced scrutiny following the closure of Cooktown Hospital’s birthing unit, and the inability to get the Weipa Hospital birthing unit up and running.
Ms Kris said the outgoing CEO was an experienced nurse and nurse practitioner, and was also Executive Director of Nursing Services for the previous Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area Health Service District, prior to the creation of the hospital and health services in 2012.
She also served as Clinical Nurse Consultant on Mer Island between September 2002 and July 2009.
“As such, she has had a long and distinguished career serving our Torres Strait, Northern Peninsula Area, and Cape York communities,” the chair said.
“She and I have developed a strong personal connection since my appointment as board chair in 2019.
“I will miss her strong leadership, and her commitment and dedication to our communities, our staff, our health service and to our board.
“Since her appointment as chief executive, Ms Hamerton has worked with a strong focus on responsible financial stewardship and staff engagement initiatives to support the delivery of quality, safe health care during what has been an immensely challenging environment.”
“She has strengthened partnerships with all who interact with our health service and successfully advocated on behalf of our diverse communities for a range of improvements that will benefit our health service into the future.
“I am sure our staff and we will now begin the process of recruitment for a new chief executive.”
Dean Davidson will be the interim chief executive for TCHHS..
In the interim, TCHHS executive director of strategy and investment, Dean Davidson, has agreed to act as interim chief executive.
“Mr Davidson has been with us since 2016 in a variety of senior managerial and executive positions and is very familiar with our health service, our communities, and our challenges,” Ms Kris said.
“He will be able to provide strong continuity of leadership for our health service and our communities and I and the board welcome him to the position of interim chief executive.”
