Back to his roots: new St John of God hospital CEO, Dr Glen Power.
AS a Rhodes scholar and a former government adviser, St John of God hospital’s new chief executive Glen Power comes well qualified.
Dr Power was appointed after a nationwide search to replace Glyn Palmer, and the incoming chief executive said maintaining the high standards set under Mr Palmer would be a challenge.
“The hospital has a fabulous profile in its workforce that can meet just about every admission type and serve the community to a very high standard,” Dr Power said.
“One of the challenges in my new role is continuing to meet the health needs of the region and maintaining that consistently high level of performance and patient satisfaction.
“Secondly, we need to make sure we’ve got the specialists we need to respond to any situation. The difference between having one versus two consultants can be enormous.”
He said working out how to attract and retain specialists in a regional area would be very important.
Dr Power comes to St John of God from South West Aboriginal Medical Services in Bunbury, where he was chief executive.
Prior to that, he worked in management roles in New South Wales and Hobart and also spent five years as the chief of staff and principal policy adviser to Western Australia’s health minister.
Dr Power said it was not only the new job but also the prospect of living in the south-west that had him excited.
“My wife’s from Melbourne and we spent a lot of time out here in our early years together,” he said. “I also have a family connection to the region. My great-great-grandfather was a farmer in Cobden.
“We went to Timboon the other day and there’s actually a plaque there dedicated to some of the Power family, who were a pioneer farming family in the area, so I’d like to explore that part of my heritage while I’m here.”