Gold Coast health staff ignoring directives to shut up about hospital issues

Staff at the Gold Coast’s two public hospitals are ignoring directives to shut up or face the sack, saying management have ignored their pleas for too long.

STAFF at the Gold Coast’s two public hospitals are ignoring directives to shut up or face the sack, saying management have ignored their pleas for too long.

A number of nurses have contacted the Bulletin after Thursday’s front page story revealed patients in the short-stay units at both Gold Coast Univeristy and Robina hospitals were being given sandwiches instead of hot meals.

The nurses were reaching into their own pocket to buy food for hungry patients.

Nurses say they were reaching into their own pocket to buy food for hungry patients.

After the story was published, staff were threatened with the sack if they spoke to the media.

A senior nurse, speaking on condition of anonymity, said staff had been complaining “since at least last July” about culture and patient welfare, but the complaints were being blocked by middle management.

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“There’s gossiping, there’s bullying, there’s intimidation and you take it to the next level and it gets shut down,” the nurse said. “You take it to the level above that and it gets turned around and nothing happens.

Gold Coast University Hospital at Parkwood. Picture Mike Batterham

“The boss would have a heart attack if they knew what was going on with middle management.”

The nurse said morale was at an “all-time low” among staff.

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“I’m seeing good people leaving the hospital, taking early retirement, resigning, going out private because they’re just disgusted and they’ve lost all faith in the system because of this.”

Another nurse claimed the hospitals were employing unnecessary managers at the expense of resources in wards.

The nurse also claimed an extra after-hours nurse-management position had been added at the middle of last year to straddle both hospitals, but the position was “not needed”.

Robina Hospital

“Other nurse managers raised concerns at the time because there was not a requirement for this position and other people had their hours cut to foot the bill and provide a position for them,” the nurse said.

“There was no money for it or necessity for it.”

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In a letter sent to staff yesterday, Gold Coast Health Service chief executive Ron Calvert said he would have addressed the meal problem in the short-stay wards much sooner if he had known.

“The events reported in the Gold Coast Bulletin … suggest to me that some members of our staff have felt their concerns have not been heard by their managers. The culture I want here is one where our staff concerns are heard, and I’m sorry staff have not felt heard on this matter.

“If you don’t feel your concerns about patient safety have been adequately addressed then by all means please escalate above your manager.”

Mr Calvert said also reminded managers to take staff complaints seriously.