The IWK Health Centre's phone line for whistleblowers went live this month.

The 24-hour-a-day confidential tip line is part of the hospital's new disclosure of wrongdoing policy, which the board of directors approved at the end of March.

According to a message recently sent to all staff, wrongdoing could include a misuse of hospital funds or assets, gross mismanagement, knowingly doing something that creates substantial risk to health or safety, or reprisal against or threat of reprisal for reporting wrongdoing.

Board chairperson Karen Hutt said the tip line is considered a best practice. It's important to give anyone with concerns a mechanism to report them without worrying about ramifications, she said in an interview following the board's regular meeting Monday.

IWK Health Centre board chairperson Karen Hutt says the phone line is another option to give staff assurance their concerns can be voiced. (CBC)

Hutt said the phone line is in addition to people's options of going to their manager with concerns or contacting her directly as board chair.

"This is just one more way to give them, I think, some reassurance that there is an outlet and if they do voice a concern there's a process that will be followed to deal with that."

The disclosure policy is part of a long list of things the board has been working on to improve administrative accountability. A report last summer highlighted areas that needed improvement, including better financial controls.

That report was ordered by the board following revelations of financial mismanagement and wrongdoing by the hospital's former CEO Tracy Kitch and chief financial officer Stephen D'Arcy, both of whom eventually resigned.

Halifax Regional Police and the province's auditor general are both investigating the matter.

Search about to start for new CEO

Hutt said the work to implement the report's recommendations continues and the board is pleased with how it's progressing.

"We like the way that the organization has really stabilized and has really just gotten back to the business of focusing on families and patients, and we're very much seeing that."

Meanwhile, following a procurement process, the hospital hired executive recruitment firm Odgers Berndtson to find a new permanent CEO. Dr. Krista Jangaard has filled the role since Kitch's departure.

Hutt said a search committee is being formed now and the goal is for it to represent the IWK community by engaging the various hospital stakeholders. The hope is for someone to be hired by the fall. Hutt said she isn't concerned the investigation by the auditor general might deter some people from considering the CEO job.

"Our view is that we invited the audit general in … and I would actually like to think that a candidate would view that as a positive thing and would see that as the board's commitment to increasing the quality of care for the community we serve."