Qld Health Director-General says no directive preventing re-employment of staff who refused Covid vaccine

Queensland Health’s director-general has written to every hospital and health service in the state declaring there is no directive to not re-employ staff who refused the Covid-19 vaccine.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman

• Q&A: How does it affect me?

Queensland Health’s Director General has written to all hospital and health services in the state to confirm there is no directive to stop the re-employment of employees who refused the Covid-19 vaccine.

In the letter, Michael Walsh reiterates that there is no directive in place that prevents Queensland Health re-employing “an otherwise suitably qualified candidate who was subject to disciplinary vaccinate mandate disciplinary measures”.

Queensland Health Director-General Michael Walsh. Picture: Adam Head

The move comes after The Courier-Mail was leaked an email sent to a nurse with 15 years experience telling her that her application for a job would not be processed and staff had received instructions that they were unable to employ any staff who were officially terminated.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has this week denied three times that there was anything stopping former health workers from rejoining the department.

However correspondence sent to a nurse trying to get her job back last month states that “we cannot progress your application, we have had instructions that we are unable to employ any staff who were officially terminated”.

“We have been directed by our HR department that (this) is a Qld Health directive,’’ the email states.

The nurse, who has 15 years’ experience, is desperate to return to work and is devastated by the response from the health department.

She asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions.

Data provided by the Health Department shows 1249 staff were terminated as a result of noncompliance with the vaccination mandate.

Earlier, Mr Walsh said the emails were incorrect and offered his apologies to the nurse.

“I’d like to apologise to the person who received this email. It’s an error,’’ he said.

“It’s inconsistent with the Queensland Health position that any staff member who left the organisation for any reason, including relating to the Covid-19 vaccinate mandate, can reapply for a position.

“In fact, since the mandate was repealed in late September, 37 staff members who left the organisation because of the vaccine mandate, have been re-employed with us.”

Upon hearing of the emails, Ms Fentiman said that was not the government’s position.

Rebecca Crack says she is dying to get back to nursing. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“I am extremely disappointed if HHSs (hospital and health services) are not following government policies,” she said.

“This is not the government’s position, and I have made it very clear that there are no barriers for former Queensland Health employees who had their employment terminated to reapply, and I encourage them to do so.’’

Mr Walsh said former health workers did need to disclose prior disciplinary action when applying for a role but this does not stop them progressing through the selection process.

It comes as a pediatric nurse with 12 years’ experience told The Courier-Mail she was now driving trucks after failing to secure a nursing job after the vaccine directive was lifted in September last year.

Rebecca Crack applied for a job at Beaudesert Hospital but was rejected. She said she never thought she would see the day she would be driving trucks for a living.

“But here I am — dying to return to my career after being stood down over the vaccine mandate but can’t get re-employed because of my ‘serious disciplinary history’,” the 39-year-old said.

Ms Crack said she decided not to have the jab as she was looking into IVF and was afraid it would interfere with her fertility.

Nurses Professional Association of Queensland’s Ella Leach said it was time for Ms Fentiman to “show some leadership and guidance to Queensland Health’s bloated human resources departments”.

“Either the Health Minister’s statements about returning to work are disingenuous or she doesn’t know what is happening in her own health system,” Ms Leach said.

“She needs to make her message to the health services clear.

“Let these staff back into our hospitals as a matter of priority.

“Every day our health service is understaffed, Queenslanders’ lives are at risk.”

One of the emails sent to a sacked nurse

MINISTER’S DENIALS

THURSDAY

Journalist: On the Covid-19 decision out of the Supreme Court, you’ve said that anyone that’s left Queensland Health’s employment “because they didn’t want to take a Covid vaccine, they are absolutely welcome to reapply” for their jobs. Termination letters that we’ve seen shows that the decision to repeal the health directive does not absolve employees who have failed to follow the direction, which means that they have still have a serious misconduct history should they reapply for their job. Doesn’t it mean therefore they can’t then work in Queensland Health?

Fentiman: There is absolutely no legal barrier for staff to come back to work now that we have lifted the vaccine mandate but of course everything that happened while they were an employee stays on their file. But we have a number of employees who have left Queensland Health or whose employment was terminated, who have come back to work. And my message from day one when we repealed the Covid-19 vaccination requirements was please reapply. We know that our HR processes can take some months, it is very usual and normal for an employee’s record to have everything on file but that is no barrier for people to reapply.”

WEDNESDAY

Journalist: The Queensland Health staff who were terminated over not getting jabbed with the Covid vaccination say their efforts to be re-employed … they’re unable to be reappointed as there’s a black mark on their disciplinary record.

Fentiman: Well, that’s not the case and I know a number of them have been re-employed and are working now, caring for the community.

Journalist: Some of them say they are still struggling to get re-employed, but given the court decision, would like to see those efforts sped up.

Fentiman: Look, all of them are welcome to reapply. As you know, we have a critical shortage of health workers across the globe, not just here in Queensland, and as I said a number of them have been re-employed across parts of Queensland and I would welcome them to reapply for positions in Queensland Health.

TUESDAY

Journalist: Given (the court decision) has sort of re-emerged this whole issue, when will health staff and nurses that were sacked be reinstated?

Fentiman: We’ve already overturned the Covid mandate for Queensland Health staff, we did that last year in September, and I’ve been very clear that anyone that left Queensland Health employment because they didn’t want to take a Covid vaccine, they are absolutely welcome to reapply and we have had many of them return to work.