Whistleblower claims complaints at Cairns clinic ignored amid gender scandal

A former employee at the Cairns Sexual Health Service says it was common place for people to just not show up to work and for “friends of friends” to gain employment or promotions.

A former Queensland Health employee says they repeatedly raised concerns about an unprofessional work culture at the Cairns Sexual Health Service but their complaints were ignored.

The person, who was not employed as a doctor or nurse at the clinic, said it was common place for people not to show up to work, without taking leave, and for “friends of friends” to gain employment or promotions.

“Complaints often went straight in the bin,” the whistleblower said.

“But even when things did make it to HR nothing was done … the doctors that work there are the best of the best, but there are massive issues with culture of the place, (the service) was a law unto themselves.”

It comes as Health Minister Tim Nicholls has defended the temporary ban on new prescriptions of puberty blockers and hormone therapies to gender dysphoric children across the state, saying the health and wellbeing of children was his primary concern.

The government initiated a statewide review of the use hormone therapies in the wake of a Public Interest Disclosure over the “apparently unauthorised” provision of pediatric gender therapy services through the Cairns Sexual Health Service, part of the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service chief executive Leena Singh. Picture: Brendan Radke

CHSS chief executive Leena Singh said she could not detail which staff were responsible for the unauthorised services, but that it would form part of an independent review into the service.

She said she could not say if those staff were still employed, but noted “we have had a bit of staff turnover in that area in the last six months”.

Ms Singh said there were 25 patients under the care of Cairns Sexual Health and 17 of them were “on a medical pathway”.

Speaking in Cairns yesterday, Mr Nicholls, confirmed that the estimated 450-500 children on the Queensland Children’s Gender Service wait list would continue to receive a “suite of care,” involving psychiatrists, psychologists, fertility specialists, paediatricians, social workers and GPs, but they would not be able to access Stage 1 and Stage 2 hormone therapies.

“Children need care and respect and the responsibility of the state is to ensure they are not put in harm’s way and that the services that are provided to them are based on the best available evidence and are applied with caution,” he said

“I want to emphasise that children experiencing gender dysphoria should still present, they will still be offered all of the services, only about a third of the children who present to the Queensland Children’s Gender Service actually then progress onto hormone therapies.”

The move has been panned by the medical community with the Australian Medical Association Queensland labelling it “dangerous”.

When asked if he was comfortable with the potential trauma the government’s decision could have on gender diverse children waiting to access puberty blockers, Mr Nicholls said the issue was a “very highly contested area” and there were “substantial question marks in relation to the delivery of this type of therapy” in places like Finland, Norway, Denmark, France, and the United Kingdom.

“So yes, we are aware of the impact,” he said.

“There is a very significant concern about children going down that pathway and the long-term effects, and that being done without an understanding of those long-term effects.”

Mr Nicholls said the concerns raised by a public interest disclosure in Cairns were received by his office around December 6, after they had been escalated through the local health service.

He said since revelations of unauthorised services, staff at Cairns Sexual Health Service were being “unfairly” attacked through phone calls and emails.

Originally published as Whistleblower claims complaints at Cairns clinic ignored amid gender scandal