Cairns Hospital staff safety concerns revealed in survey

Cairns healthcare workers are calling for urgent action after a survey revealed a shockingly high number of staff felt working conditions and facilities were unsafe.

HEALTHCARE workers at Cairns Hospital are calling on governments for urgent action to fix unsafe facilities and working conditions severely impacting staff and patients.

About 40 staff participated in a union backed rally outside Cairns Hospital on Thursday to relay the message “Cairns healthcare needs urgent care.”

Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union assistant secretary Kate Veach said ironically, that number could have been higher, but “by 9am, the emergency department was full”.

“Walking around and talking to them (Thursday morning), there was a lot of talk of double shifts, they’re fatigued, they’re really tired and they’re concerned about patient safety,” Ms Veach said.

Trish Berrill of the United Workers Union addresses the rally gathered outside the Cairns Hospital. Picture: Emily Barker

She said a recent survey of health workers at Cairns Hospital revealed 70 per cent of respondents felt their facility was unsafe for patients and staff, and 87 per cent said they were not confident their facility would cope if a Covid-19 outbreak occurred in their area.

The union said 88 per cent of survey respondents said they were unsure or did not think their employer would listen if they identified a solution to improve health services.

Ms Veach said staff had also raised concerns about business cases and constant structural changes that impacted the health system, and they wanted their solutions to be considered at a corporate decision-making level.

“They really need both levels of government to invest and address the safety concerns,” she said.

“Because at the moment we’re dealing with activity based models, where the busier the hospital is, the more funding you receive.

“But the staff, who are the experts believe they have solutions to improve the healthcare system so we don’t end up with demand outweighing supply in emergency departments.”

Wayne Costelloe at calling for more beds the Cairns healthcare worker’s rally outside Cairns Hospital. Picture: Emily Barker

The rally was backed by three other unions including the Together Union, the United Workers Union and the Electrical Trades Union with the ETU’s Rob Hill echoing Ms Veach’s calls.

“Privatising beds and services isn’t a solution to achieving a sustainable public health system. There are other solutions to address the impacts of the unprecedented demand – governments just need to listen to workers,” he said.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service’s executive director Cairns services Marie Kelly said a significant amount of Covid-19 outbreak planning work had occurred and was regularly updated with changing circumstances.

“We have previously had cases of COVID-19 community transmission in Cairns which has enabled us to test and refine these plans.

“The safety and workload of our staff is always a priority as this is how we continue to provide great care for our patients.”

Originally published as Cairns Hospital staff safety concerns revealed in survey