Former Labour candidate says role at Mount Carmel ‘strictly administrative’

The Labour election candidate and former mayor of Msida, Clifton Grima, now entrusted with running the country's mental health hospital, has told MaltaToday that his role is to be "purely administrative".

The 29-year-old lawyer, who has been described previously as a "rapporteur" on mental health reform, replaced former Mount Carmel Hospital chief executive Dolores Gauci, founder of Richmond Foundation and until recently Head of Mental Health Services.

Just a few weeks ago, Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia was unwilling to confirm that he was putting Grima in the role of hospital CEO. Farrugia limited himself to saying that "studies were still underway" over the implementation of the Mental Health Act.

Despite Farrugia's previous claims that no changes were envisaged in the top management at Mount Carmel Hospital, Grima said that he had been appointed Chief Operations Officer (COO) and will oversee the administration of the hospital.

On the other hand, former Mount Carmel Hospital chief executive Dolores Gauci has been appointed COO responsible for community mental health. Grima confirmed that he would be working together with Gauci on a board supervising the sector.

Although community care is one of the new Mental Health Act's main priorities, it makes no mention of a chief operations officer responsible for Mount Carmel or community care.

The Act stipulates that the CEO is "responsible for the management of a licensed facility".

Grima said that his job will be strictly administrative and his main aim in his new role is to create a solid team, which will pilot the sensitive reform envisaged by the Mental Health Act.

"I am one of many, I have a team of experienced professionals and I am confident that together we can implement the reforms set by the Mental Health Act in a short space of time," Grima said.

He insisted that he had received positive feedback from the hospital's staff, including the managers, doctors, and nurses, adding that there was "room for improvement" in the mental health sector.

"So far I have received positive feedback from the persons I will be working with at Mount Carmel. I firmly believe in the importance of creating a strong working relationship with all employees."

Asked whether he believed he held the necessary qualifications and capabilities to run such a sensitive institution, Grima said, "I see no problem there. It's a question of addressing the hospital's administrative shortcomings and making the best use of the institution's human and financial resources".

The lawyer added that other countries, such as the UK, had appointed a number of non-medical professionals at the helm of mental health institutions.

"After all, I will not be seeing patients myself; psychiatrists and doctors will be seeing the patients as they have always done. If I am appointed as CEO of a company selling cars, I'm not required to be a car expert."

However, Grima did admit that every time change happens, doubts arise, and confessed that he gave the offer a lot of thought before accepting.

Yet the hospital's new COO expressed optimism over his new role and the implementation of the Mental Health Act, saying, "It will not be easy, but it certainly is not impossible."

One of Grima's first challenges at the helm of Mount Carmel Hospital will be that of addressing reported abuse of patients. Recently, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) claimed that children aged 16 and younger in certain wards at Mount Carmel Hospital were being exposed to sexual abuse and physical violence.

The MUMN also pointed out that drug addicts, children and patients suffering from various mental diseases were lumped in together at the hospital and accused the health ministry of being in total denial of the current situation at Mount Carmel.

In its reaction, the ministry said that it had asked the Commissioner for Mental Health to investigate the claim and make his recommendations.

Grima said that he had read the internal report on the MUMN's claims, however he stressed that he had only been at Mount Carmel twice and the handover from the former CEO was still underway.

"I have read the report, which goes into detail of the abuses happening at the hospital. The situation is far from perfect, and all I can say at the moment is that such abuses can never be justified."

He added that he will be discussing such matters with the unions and holding talks with all stakeholders to ensure that targets are met in time and the hospital's financial and human resources are maximised.

Moreover, Grima denied reports that he will be receiving a salary of around €65,000, insisting that he will be paid much less. However, he declined to disclose his expected remuneration, saying only that he will earn more or less the same salary as former CEO Dolores Gauci - "within the Foundation for Medical Services' parameters."

When the news first broke of his appointment in September, it emerged that Grima was "interviewed" by health ministry and Mount Carmel staff on his knowledge of the Mental Health Services Act. But the health ministry claimed to MaltaToday that Grima was acting as an "unpaid rapporteur" during meetings on a review of mental health laws.

Opposition spokesperson for health Claudio Grech has described Dolores Gauci, who has over 20 years' experience in the mental healthcare field, as a highly specialised professional who is well respected and who was originally selected from a public call for applications.

On Monday, Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia said that Gauci has remained within the senior management of Mental Health Services and has been given "the prima donna role" in community mental health care as COO.

Asked what qualifications Clifton Grima had to run a psychiatric hospital, Farrugia replied, "Dr Grima, with his legal and management background, is the new COO at the hospital, within a system that may have medico-legal implications".