THE crisis that has shrouded Portland District Health has exploded out into the open, with chief executive Christine Giles, former chairman Andrew Levings and the Health Department in a war of words over what has happened at the health service.

Ms Giles has spoken publicly for the first time on the circumstances that led her to take leave from her role in July last year after eight years in the job, just as she should have been riding a wave of public support for her much-praised local handling of the coronavirus pandemic.