MPs surprise hospital visits banned after Labor leader’s late night Instagram videos

Labor leader Chris Minns has been filming Instagram videos outside hospitals as late as 1am, leading to a firm request from NSW Health boss Susan Pearce for the visits to stop.

Labor leader Chris Mins has been told to stop turning up to emergency departments unannounced to film social media videos because the visits could “disrupt” normal hospital activities.

The dramatic intervention from NSW Health boss Susan Pearce comes after a spate of selfie videos filmed by Mr Minns at hospitals around Sydney.

In what is understood to be an unprecedented move, Ms Pearce wrote to the three major political parties on Thursday telling them to ask their MPs to not turn up to hospitals unannounced.

The Daily Telegraph understands the correspondence was specifically aimed at the Labor Leader, who posted a video from outside the Prince of Wales Emergency Department in the early hours of Thursday morning.

“I am writing to you in relation to attendance and filming at NSW public hospitals to ensure a clear understanding of the rules surrounding such attendance,” she said.

Labor Leader Chris Minns has been

filming social media videos outside hospitals in the middle of the night in a bid to highlight strain on healthcare staff. Source: Instagram

She said visits should be arranged through the Health Minister or Local Health District, and must be “administratively and clinically appropriate”.

“The visit must be properly managed so as not to disrupt normal activities.”

Health authorities have become increasingly frustrated at Mr Minns making surprise visits to emergency departments to film videos for social media.

“NSW Health recognises there is legitimate public interest in members of the NSW parliament attending public hospitals and health services as part of their role,” the letter – leaked to The Daily Telegraph – read.

“At the same time however, NSW Health has a primary and ongoing duty to ensure appropriate, confidential and timely care to patients who attend our facilities and to maintain the privacy of our patients and our staff.”

Secretary of NSW Health Susan Pearce issued a note asking for the impromptu visits to stop. Picture: Gaye Gerard.

Health sources said hospital staff have been diverted from regular duties due to the visits. It is understood that during a surprise visit to the Blue Mountains Hospital, the general manager met with Mr Minns and Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle and escorted the pair through a medical ward.

Mr Minns has posted at least seven videos outside emergency departments in the past two weeks, in a bid to highlight overcrowding.

He has used the videos to campaign for more support to be provided to frontline healthcare workers.

However Mr Minns has consistently refused to say whether he would implement a major policy the nurses union says is crucial to ensure better patient care.

The Nurses and Midwives Association is calling for strict nurse-to-patient ratios which will reduce the number of patients healthcare workers care for at a time.

On his most recent Instagram video, commenters overwhelmingly called on Mr Minns to adopt nurse-to-patient ratios ahead of the next election – something NSW Labor has so far refused to do.

In a statement, Mr Minns said he had been “repeatedly” invited by nurses to make night-time visits to emergency departments.

“I don’t believe the Leader of the Opposition thanking a nurse on the midnight shift for their hard work or with a quick visit witnessing for myself just how overrun Emergency Departments are is in any way a breach of NSW Health guidelines,” he said.

“I’ve never filmed inside a hospital so as to protect patient privacy.”