New SJoG boss leads group "reset"

New St John of God Health Care chief executive Bryan Pyne has announced a major review of the organisation, his first big move since taking the helm last month.

The first leader of the WA-based group in at least 20 years to come from a non-medical background, Mr Pyne has called the review a post-Covid reset of the organisation.

St John of God Health Care has signaled that job cuts were on the table, despite a major recruitment drive taking place with 250 clinical staff recruited from the British Isles in recent months. It cited Covid as the reason for the closure of some services, creating cost pressures in areas that remained open. 

And while the Covid threat has receded it has left a legacy, especially in staff shortages as employees have reconsidered their lifestyles.

Mr Pyne brings long experience at St John of God to the role of chief executive, having worked for the group for 24 of the past 25 years.

However, he also has a different background to his predecessors, having started his career as an accountant in the mid-1990s prior to joining St John of God and working his way up the ladder through broader operational positions.

Both his immediate predecessor, Shane Kelly, and Michael Stanford before that, were doctors before they became administrators. Dr Kelly headed St John of God from 2018 to last year while Dr Stanford led it from 2002 to 2018.

Mr Pyne said the leadership teams across the group’s operations to seek both cost savings and revenue opportunities.

“There will be increased rigor around the financial management of the organisation and at the same time we will continue to explore opportunities for growth – aligning our services to meet community need, and identifying areas where we can heighten our level of service and drive new revenue streams,” he said.

“This will be a challenging period and some tough decisions may have to be made.

“This may result in changes to services, a reduction in staff numbers in some areas, and increases in others to support services that have growth potential."