Forum aims to make sure Caboolture inquiry is transparent
The State Opposition will hold a “town hall” event at which frontline workers, former staff and patients can share their Caboolture Hospital horror stories.
QLD Politics
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Politics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Patients and staff at Caboolture Hospital are being urged to come forward and share their stories ahead of an independent inquiry into the hospital’s surgical department.
LNP leader David Crisafulli said the Opposition would host a town hall this week on the back of explosive claims that patients were dying and being harmed as a result of substandard care. Mr Crisafulli said the forum would help make sure people’s complaints were dealt with transparently and urged front line workers, former staff members and patients to come forward and share their horror stories about Caboolture Hospital on Thursday.
“The allegations about Caboolture Hospital are extremely serious and we must get to the bottom of it,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“Change can happen simply by speaking up.”
The Metro North Hospital and Health Service board announced last Thursday an independent external review into surgical services at the hospital would be launched.
It followed a week of reports in The Courier-Mail that uncovered serious allegations made by former and current staff that included people dying as a result of botched surgeries, patients being maimed, surgeons performing operations that are not trained in and a toxic workplace culture with widespread bullying and harassment.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said last week she was not satisfied that a complaint made by a doctor at the hospital to executive director Angie Dobbrick warning that patients were at risk and some surgeries were booked in by surgeons not trained in doing them had been properly investigated.
She said she wanted the inquiry to be done quickly and urged people to come forward if they were concerned about their standard of care.
Mr Crisafulli called on the State Government to be open and transparent with the findings.
“This cannot be another transparency black spot,” he said.
The latest ambulance ramping data shows nearly one in three patients are forced to wait longer than the clinically recommended time of 30 minutes at Caboolture Hospital.
Queensland Health data shows 38 per cent of patients were ramped in the June 2021 quarter -an increase of 21.5 per cent in 12 months.
A shocking 30 per cent of patients aren’t treated within the clinically recommended time when they present to the emergency department.
People interested in attending the town hall can register here.
More Coverage
Editor’s view: The issue our ‘open, transparent’ govt won’t address
The state government has been doing all it can to keep Queenslanders in the dark about land claims by Indigenous groups, writes the editor.
The ‘C’ word behind Labor’s 35-year stranglehold on Qld politics
There is one reason the ALP has been in power for all but five years out of the last 35 and it revolves not around their ability to govern, but their ability to win, writes Graham Young.