Dolores Gauci with former Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia.

The head of the community mental health services, Dolores Gauci, has been informed she will not be retained by the Health Ministry at the end of a one-year probation period that expires today. Ms Gauci, former CEO of mental health NGO Richmond Foundation, had been engaged as CEO of Mount Carmel Hospital in April last year. Then, six months into her job, she was controversially replaced by Labour candidate and former Msida mayor Clifton Grima. Instead, Ms Gauci was appointed chief operations officer responsible for community mental health.

The changes had raised questions in the wake of a denial, barely a month earlier, by the Health Ministry, which had said that no such changes were in the pipeline. In addition, Dr Grima’s credentials were also put under the spotlight on grounds that, as a lawyer, he had had little experience in running a psychiatric hospital.

Contacted yesterday, Ms Gauci confirmed the news of her departure, saying she was only informed about the decision on Friday. She expressed her disappointment that the decision came at a time when the initiatives launched in the community were gathering momentum.

While acknowledging that the government had every right to terminate her employment at the end of the probation period, she said the ministry had never indicated that she was not performing.

A Health Ministry spokeswoman confirmed that Ms Gauci’s probation was over but would not comment on why she was not retained.