Eastern Health CEO's exit a surprise: board

The resignation of the top manager of Newfoundland and Labrador's key health authority was a surprise, the board's chair says.

George Tilley's resignation as president and chief executive officer of Eastern Health was announced Monday. No explanation was given in a statement announcing his departure.

Joan Dawe, who chairs the Eastern Health board, said Tilley's resignation was unexpected.

Tilley had earlier refused to resign amid a widening furor over how the authority handled information about inaccurate lab testing that may have led hundreds of breast cancer patients to receive inappropriate treatment.

As well, Tilley was dealing with a second public relations storm, after the authority disclosed it had suspended a newly hired Burin Peninsula radiologist after colleagues raised concerns about the quality of his work. Thousands of his records have been re-analyzed.

Dawe raised that review while speaking to reporters Monday afternoon about Tilley's departure.

"Mr. Tilley has been dealing with a number of issues, and you are also aware the organization committed to providing an update on the Burin Peninsula radiology review and new information came to light late last week which indicated there are some issues around the outcome of that review," Dawe told CBC News.

Dawe, however, denied there is a link between the radiology review and Tilley's resignation.

Health Minister Ross Wiseman would not comment on whether Tilley was under any pressure from the provincial government to resign. At the legislature this spring, Opposition politicians pressed the government to fire Tilley.

"Keep in mind Mr. Tilley is an employee of Eastern Health, and the board chair [announced] the board has accepted his resignation, and those issues in and around that employment relationship are better directed to Mr. Tilley himself," Wiseman told CBC News.

Wiseman described the departure "as a personal decision that Mr. Tilley came to an understanding with his board as to what his future was going to be."

Gerry Rogers, a breast cancer survivor and part of a pending class action lawsuit against Eastern Health, said Tilley's departure is not a solution.

"I would have liked to have seen George Tilley stand through this," Rogers told CBC News. Nonetheless, she said the authority has done "a horrendous, horrible job" in communicating with patients.

"I still want to hear from him. … There has to be some transparency and accountability."

Meanwhile, Dawe said Eastern Health will continue to work on restoring public confidence, particularly as a judicial inquiry into flawed hormone receptor tests begins. More than 300 breast cancer patients were given wrong results.

"The focus of the board and the organization today is to continue to ensure the public that we are very concerned about the public interest and that we continue to focus on providing the very best possible care to people of this region and the province as a whole," said Dawe.

Eastern Health manages tertiary care for most of Newfoundland and Labrador.