Junior doctors have been moved out of Canberra Hospital’s orthopaedics ward over concerns around  supervision, according to media reports, and the opposition is blaming Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith for the “shambles”.

It is understood that the Canberra Regional Medical Education Council has directed that junior doctors, including those in their first and second years, need more supervision during their orthopaedic term and the doctors have been withdrawn.

Liberal health spokesperson Leanne Castley has labelled it as another example of the minister having “systematically ruined the health system with a number of departments having lost training accreditation throughout the term”.

“Ms Stephen-Smith must come out and tell Canberrans when she knew about the loss of the latest training accreditation for junior doctors and if she was waiting until after the election to make the announcement when the training term officially ends,” Ms Castley said.

The loss of the training accreditation comes on the heels of the ACT government’s $31.5 million settlement with junior doctors for unpaid overtime.

“Ms Stephen-Smith has spent much of this week slinging mud and playing political games while her health system is in disarray. It is clear after she has lurched from one crisis to another this term, she is not fit to be health minister.

Ms Castley said this week the Canberra Liberals had announced health policies that included extra support for frontline workers, a focus on primary care to take the strain off the emergency department and a royal commission that would give a comprehensive look at the ACT health system and what needed to be addressed.

KEEPING UP THE ACT