Caboolture Hospital inquiry labelled a ‘sham’ by opposition

Staff at Caboolture Hospital who blew the whistle on botched surgeries and a toxic workplace culture say they are nervous Queensland Health is more interested in finding out who they are than fixing the problems.

The inquiry into Caboolture Hospital’s surgical unit has been labelled a “sham” with the health department refusing to answer basic questions around how the review will operate.

And former and current staff at the hospital who blew the whistle on botched surgeries leading to people being maimed and killed, surgeons performing operations they are not trained in and a toxic workplace culture with widespread bullying and harassment say they are nervous Queensland Health is more interested in finding out who they are than fixing the problems.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was asked during question time on Thursday by Opposition Health spokeswoman Ros Bates whether she would guarantee whistleblowers protection like former Premier Peter Beattie did for Bundaberg Hospital whistleblower ICU nurse Toni Hoffman during the Jayant Patel saga.

Ms Palaszczuk responded that there was already legislation that would protect them.

However, Ms Hoffman told The Courier-Mail that even though whistleblowing laws existed when she went to the media to raise the alarm about Patel in the early 2000s, Mr Beattie’s guarantee that nurses and doctors would be protected made a huge difference.

“The government could prove their commitment to transparency by publicly releasing the terms of reference and assuring staff they can speak openly without fear of any reprisals,” she said.

“There are a lot of complaints there and that stuff doesn’t come out of nowhere, people don’t make that stuff up.”

Former Bundaberg Hospital ICU nurse unit manager and Patel whistleblower Toni Hoffman. Photo Paul Beutel

Metro North Board Chair Jim McGowan announced on Monday that the review had started and would be led by Dr Jim Sweeney.

A spokeswoman for Metro North said it would not answer questions regarding whether patients who had complained and former and current staff would be interviewed.

Ms Bates said it was disappointing the review would not consider any cases or complaints before 2020.

“This is a sham inquiry … the type of inquiry you have when you’re not really interested in the truth,” she said.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath defended the process, telling parliament that Metro north had appointed an independent person to perform the investigation.

“That review is being undertaken, as it should be, by the board chair who has initiated this and has appointed an independent person to do that,” she said.

“We will let that process be undertaken and go through the formal channels that they will go through.”

She again encouraged anyone with “any allegations whatsoever” to come forward.

Nurses Professional Association Queensland state secretary Aenghas Hopkinson-Pearson

said that the inquiry into Caboolture Hospital fell short of the independent inquiry they had called for.

“Metro North investigating itself will inevitably result in finding that shows no fault,” he said.

“There’s obviously an issue at Caboolture, nurses and doctors are still contacting us daily, too scared to speak publicly in fear that their careers will be threatened by Queensland Health.

“It’s crucial that whistleblowers are protected.”