Two executives exit London hospital amid fight against looming $150M deficit

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London Health Sciences Centre has begun slashing its top administration, long the subject of criticism as bloated and overstaffed, amid a looming $150-million budget deficit.

Two executives at London’s largest hospital no longer work there, officials confirmed, as the long-anticipated move to streamline management has begun, LHSC interim chief executive David Musyj said in a message:

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• Brad Campbell, corporate hospital administration executive, was in charge of overseeing the presidents of University Hospital, Children’s Hospital and Victoria Hospital
• Sandra Smith, who was regional vice-president for the southwest regional cancer program at LHSC

“We have been clear about the ongoing management organizational structure review and benchmarking work that we have undertaken with the goal of identifying efficiencies and best practices that won’t compromise our ability to deliver high-quality care to patients and families,” Musyj stated. 

Hospital officials did not comment on the exact nature of the two departures.

The hospital is now in the third month of a review to trim its spending and reduce a deficit expected to hit $150 million in 2025, meaning cuts are expected.

Added Musyj: “LHSC will be communicating more information about the outcomes of the structural review as soon as we are able to do so.”

Campbell was paid $475,423 in 2023, a significant raise over the $217,007 he made in 2022.

Smith was paid $244,249 in 2023, according to the Ontario sunshine list that posts compensation of taxpayer-paid staff earning more than $100,000 annually.

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Peter Bergmanis is co-director of the London branch of the Ontario Health Coalition, an advocacy group. He described a reduction in senior administration as “a positive move” for the hospital.

“We’ve been bringing concerns forward about the top-heavy nature of the administration,” he said. “The administration had to be dealt with.”

Musyj arrived in May, replacing Jackie Schleifer Taylor, who had been chief executive since 2021. 

Campbell was president of Corpus Sanchez Inc, a consulting company hired several times by LHSC before he was hired by Schleifer Taylor. The vice-president of Corpus Sanchez, Nash Syed, was also hired as president of LHSC’s Children’s Hospital. Campbell owned Corpus Sanchez from 2001 to 2022. He was also interim chief operating officer at Lawson Health Research Institute, the research arm of London’s hospitals, from 2021 to 2022.

His LinkedIn page now states he is “between jobs” and “figuring it out as I go along.”

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As for Smith, she led the South West Regional Cancer Program and LHSC’s London Regional Cancer Program from July, 2023. Before that, she worked in “capacity management,” which worked to better patient care at the Children’s, Victoria and University Hospital.

From 2018 to 2022 she worked for Ontario Health West, in a finance and administrative role. From 2017 to 2018 she worked in an administrative role at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Schleifer Taylor went on a leave of absence in November, 2023, and the hospital announced June 11 she was no longer employed at LHSC. The board of directors announced her departure as the hospital wrestled with its rising deficit and dealt with the fallout of trips for senior executives and staff totalling more than $470,000.

Schleifer Taylor made $803,584 in salary and taxable benefits in 2023.

In June, the hospital reported its deficit will nearly double in one year, rocketing to $150 million by next spring from $78.1 million in March this year. Musyj said at that time the hospital is looking to cut costs and reduce spending with an eye on administration and senior executive ranks.

Musyj is on secondment from Windsor Regional Hospital, where he is chief executive.

He has implemented “benchmarking” to identify programs at other hospitals and find out what they’re doing differently.

The annual operational budget for London Health Sciences Centre this year is $1.6 billion, up from about $1.5 billion the previous year.

ndebono@postmedia.com

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