A freeze on recruiting clinical staff at Noble’s could be relaxed to ease pressure on the hospital.
And an external review is to be carried out to see if the current management structure is working.
The moves were announced by Chief Minister Allan Bell who said progress is being made on action to restore public confidence in the under-fire hospital.
Noble’s has been under intense scrutiny since October when 10 consultants put their signatures to a letter which highlighted concerns over patient safety.
Backbenchers have called for the resignation of Health Minister David Anderson.
The Chief Minister said he is committed to dealing with the issues at the hospital and has spoken with staff to hear for himself their concerns.
Mr Bell said: ‘In addition to the moves that the department is already making I have initiated two further steps with a view to easing the current pressures on the hospital.
‘One is an examination of the impact of government’s overall headcount restriction on staffing at Noble’s, which I know is a concern. The other thing that I have asked for is an external review of management requirements at the hospital, separate to the independent review of health services that has already been announced.’
Mr Bell said the hospital had the budget for extra front line clinicians but did not currently have Treasury approval to increase the headcount.
‘We are not talking about extra administrators or civil servants. There are a number of what appears to be key service delivery areas which are struggling with headcount and that has been causing difficulties. We need to look more closely at this to see if there is any assistance we can give.’
He added: ‘The health department has to be subject to financial discipline like any other area of government but we have to recognise where greater flexibility might improve services the hospital provides.’
Mr Bell said the department had reduced senior management numbers and he wanted to make sure the structure is ‘still fit for purpose’.
The department has confirmed it is pushing forward with proposals arising from a review started last November by the hospital’s patient safety forum, a body involving all frontline clinicians. It has also published the action plan on bowel surgery following an independent review.
Mr Bell said he hoped these measures will help to reassure those ‘unsettled by the political controversies stirred up around the hospital.