Yvette D’Ath declares Queensland Health has ‘cultural issues’

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has delivered a brutal assessment of her own department, declaring some staff are scared to speak up.

• Doctors too scared to speak out on hospital horrors

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has declared her department has “cultural issues” and has conceded some Queensland Health staff are scared to speak up.

In a frank admission, Ms D’Ath said the culture at Queensland Health – which is the state government’s biggest department with about 100,000 full time-equivalent employees – needed to change

Pointing to the Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing, as well as reports into the Mackay and Caboolture hospitals, Ms D’Ath said they showed there were cultural issues across the department.

“It is very concerning that not only are staff not willing to speak up, but staff are scared to speak up in some areas of Queensland Health,” Ms D’Ath said.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath. Picture: Josh Woning

“We’ve already started work to start addressing these issues. It’s a conversation I’ve had with all board chairs and chief executives and Queensland Health more broadly that this culture has to change.

“And there has to be mechanisms where if middle or senior leadership are not being listened to or are sweeping issues under the carpet, that they can be escalated.”

Ms D’Ath said cultural issues within any government agency can be caused due to a range of reasons – something she suggested the Coaldrake report into the public service had also highlighted.

“It’s change in leadership. It can be lack of training and skills,” the Minister said.

“We promote people who don’t necessarily have the skills to be a manager or a leader – and making sure that they’re equipped to manage staff and know how to do that.

“They could be a good doctor or nurse. That doesn’t mean they actually know how to manage staff.”

Ms D’Ath said conversations were now underway within the department to ensure management had the skills to manage staff and knew how to escalate complaints.

The Minister said she had told the department’s board chairs that she expects “full transparency” when her office is asking for information.

But she also insisted she had a “lot of confidence” in her team at Queensland Health – saying there had been renewal across the senior leadership team.

“Reform is going to happen in Queensland Health – I have said this to every board chair. It is happening and I expect that they will work with me to ensure that reform happens,” Ms D’Ath said.

An Independent Board of Management will soon be established, which will have oversight of the new Forensics Science Queensland.

“With this new board, there will be the opportunity to ensure that voices of this unit can be heard,” Ms D’Ath said.