The ACT Integrity Commissioner ordered an investigation into claims that hospital executives "created a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety" by forcing senior doctors to resign.
A dozen cardiologists, doctors of the heart, resigned from North Canberra Hospital and The Canberra Hospital between 2022 and June 11, 2026, according to Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith.
A spate of resignations and forced leave in July 2025 had left North Canberra Hospital without any permanent cardiologists for a period of time last year.
In August 2025, four cardiologists at North Canberra Hospital told Public Sector Standards Commissioner Andrew Metcalfe that an alleged campaign of bullying and harassment by two senior executives had left the department with "unsafe and unsustainable" levels of staffing.
They also accused these managers, one of whom has since left that role, of undermining operations by cancelling after-hours coronary care cover, replacing senior doctors with less experienced people and removing technical equipment.
Mr Metcalfe referred the disclosure to Integrity Commissioner Michael Adams, who ordered Canberra Health Services chief executive Janet Zagari to investigate.
The cardiologists claimed a bullying campaign left the unit severely understaffed, posing a serious risk to public safety.
"For a period the department was staffed by only one locum [contracted] cardiologist, which was unsafe and unsustainable," the letter to Mr Metcalfe said.
"This left outpatient clinics cancelled echocardiography reporting and patient triage suspended, and trainees and sonographers working unsupervised.
"Request for assistance from [The Canberra Hospital] cardiologists were unsuccessful, with staff unwilling to work in such a hostile environment ... what arose was a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety."
Canberra Health Services, the directorate that runs the ACT's public hospitals, took over Calvary Public Hospital in September 2023. Around the same time, two cardiologists resigned citing management issues. Calvary Public was renamed North Canberra Hospital.
A year later, the government began preparing to merge departments across North Canberra Hospital and The Canberra Hospital.
According to the four cardiologists at North Canberra Hospital, then director of cardiology at The Canberra Hospital, Peter Scott, said in a meeting in April or May 2025 that he did not want three of them to continue working for the merged unit.
The cardiologists alleged that two senior executives then targeted them and the head of cardiology at North Canberra Hospital - who did not support the proposal - through an "ongoing campaign of bullying and harassment".
One doctor's contract was changed from permanent to temporary, and another was suspended after "a false and vexatious allegation that he deliberately failed to answer his mobile phone while on call". The doctor claimed he had already informed executives of a telephone service outage and requested alternative contact arrangements.
"They placed undue pressure on [two other doctors] to resign from their engagement with [Canberra Health Services]," the cardiologists alleged. When North Canberra Hospital director of cardiology Sam Kashkavij "raised objections" in June 2025, he was stood down from that role.
The public sector standards commissioner, Mr Metcalfe, said he considered the allegations were made in good faith and involved "disclosable conduct concerning maladministration and actions that results in a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or the environment".
He referred the matter to the Integrity Commissioner, Mr Adams, who ordered then Canberra Health Services chief executive Janet Zagari to investigate. Ms Zagari was required to keep the complainants updated on the investigation at least every three months and to inform Mr Adams of the outcome.
Under the Public Interest Disclosure ACT 2012, disclosures can be shared with journalists in certain circumstances, such as if the investigator fails to update complainants.
The Canberra Health Services spokesperson said it was "not appropriate" for it to comment on the investigation, and that questions should be directed to the ACT Integrity Commissioner and ACT Public Standards Commissioner.
However, the ACT Integrity Commissioner said it was Ms Zagari's responsibility to keep the complainants updated on the investigation and further questions should be directed to Canberra Health Services.
In response to questions by independent ACT politician Fiona Carrick, Ms Stephen-Smith said that the most urgent (category one) cardiology patients were waiting on average between one week for an angiography (medical imaging), four weeks for cardiac device procedures and three months for an electrophysiology procedure, which measures electrical activity in the heart.
Separate to the issues at North Canberra Hospital, ten cardiologists working at The Canberra Hospital have taken the ACT government to the Fair Work Commission alleging three managers put patients at risk and engaged in misconduct.
In an open letter published in The Canberra Times, six private cardiologists said they were sending patients to NSW because Canberra wait times had gotten so long and they were concerned about how well patients were being treated.
