New AMA data reveals Ipswich Hospital staff are overworked, underpaid

Ipswich-based junior doctors fear exhaustion may lead them to making mistakes on the job, new research shows.

New data has revealed an alarming number of junior doctors at Ipswich Hospital feel unsafe, fatigued and taken advantage of compared with other public facilities across the state.

Results from Australian Medical Association Queensland’s 2021 Resident Hospital Health Check found 61 per cent of trainee doctors at Ipswich Hospital feared exhaustion due to working excessively long hours was a significant concern.

This was well above the statewide average of 51 per cent, based on a survey of 808 interns, house officers, and other junior doctors.

AMA Queensland Council of Doctors in Training (CDT) co-chair Dr Robert Nayer said an increasing number of doctors in training raised fatigue as a key concern.

“More than half – 52 per cent – of respondents from Ipswich Hospital also told us they had felt unsafe at work this year, compared to the statewide average of 30 per cent, which is a shocking result,” he said.

“17 per cent of trainee doctors at Ipswich said they had not been paid for all the overtime they claimed, nine per cent were advised not to claim additional hours, and 17 per cent did not claim overtime for fear it could negatively affect their assessment.”

New data shows an increasing number of junior doctors at Ipswich Hospital are facing bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, and exhaustion on the job.

CDT co-chair Dr Natasha Abeysekera said bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment was also a problem at Ipswich, with 39 per cent of junior doctors reporting they had been the target of this behaviour in the past year.

A Queensland Health spokesman said that while surveys and feedback were an important aspect of workplace assessment, only 12 per cent of the state’s intern and junior doctor workforce participated in the AMAQ survey.

“We would encourage all our junior doctors to participate in these types of surveys in the future to ensure the results reflect the experiences of all junior doctors working in Queensland,” he said.

He said Queensland Health continued to prioritise staff engagement, work-life balance and fairness and would not tolerate workplace bullying, harassment, or discrimination.

“All employees are encouraged to report unacceptable behaviour so appropriate action can be taken to address this type of behaviour in the workplace,” he said.

“Any staff member who is feeling that fatigue is putting their safety or the safety of their patients at risk is actively encouraged to take steps to manage this by escalating their concerns and, for example, handing over care to take a rest.”