A culture of threats, abuse and nepotism is uncovered in an extensive workplace review of Ballarat Health Services (BHS), with a union now considering possible class action. Two hundred staff were interviewed as part of the review commissioned by Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy in the wake of bullying complaints last year. In its findings, staff reported a culture of favouritism, where workers were yelled or screamed at by supervisors during handover, at team meetings, and in front of patients. Staff complained of having things thrown at them or dumped on their desk, with negative remarks made about race, sexuality and religion. Threats were also made when issues were raised, with staff told their certification was at risk. The report’s author Sarah Rey said the consistency and volume of the complaints was “confronting”, and cited “serious deficiencies in BHS culture and leadership, as well as gaps in BHS training, policies and practice”. New chair of the Ballarat Health Services board Rowena Coutts apologised to staff and said a range of measures would be adopted in response to the report. “I was shocked and deeply concerned about what had occurred,” she said. Ms Coutts said a lot of changes had already been made to the workplace. She confirmed six of the hospital’s nine executives had resigned in the past nine months, starting with the departure of the former chief executive Andrew Rowe in December. This week the hospital received the resignation of its director of mental health, Tamara Irish, which came off the back of resignations from the head of medical services, as well as executives in human resources and finance. The departure of the previous board chair, Andrew Faull, was announced early this year. Ms Coutts would not go into the reasons for the mass resignations. “I think it’s an opportunity, and I am optimistic about the future. We’ve got a newly-cast board, we’ve got a brand new CEO. “We’ve got this wonderfully dedicated and committed workforce, who have continued to deliver good patient care during what sometimes must’ve been very difficult circumstances and I think together there is a real resolve to change things.” The hospital said it would appoint a new complaints manager who would report directly to the hospital’s chief executive and give all former staff access to counselling. But Paul Healy from the Health and Community Services Union said it was not enough. “An apology is nice, and I think it’s a long time coming, but at the end of the day these people’s lives have been destroyed, they’ve lost money, they’ve lost sleep and the affect it’s had on them has just been horrendous,” he said. “It sounds like a class action might be the best way to go forward.”
August 5, 2016
Staff at Queensland’s biggest public hospital thought former LNP MP Chris Davis would know the withdrawal of a vacancy he had applied to fill was “BS”, documents in his anti-discrimination case claim. Former Stafford MP Chris Davis launched proceedings in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal earlier this year after his August 2014 application for a full-time gerontologist position at the Royal Women’s and Children’s Hospital was rejected. In his original application, he alleged his political beliefs and activities were referred to as a “tricky issue” in internal hospital emails after he lodged his application, which was deemed the only viable submission. Fresh documents filed by his legal team detail further alleged email conversations, including a September 2014 exchange in which head of internal medicine Dr Charles Denaro discusses with two other employees how to inform Dr Davis the position will no longer be filled externally and tells them he appreciates they’re trying to find a “sensible solution to this problem”. According to the claim, he then suggests he explain to Dr Davis that, given the establishment of clinical streams across the Metro North Hospital and Health Service, all the vacant positions were being re-evaluated but may be re-advertised in the new year. “He will realise that it is BS,” the email allegedly concludes, with then-executive director Professor Keshwar Baboolal agreeing a response “along those lines” is appropriate. The documents also outline an alleged telephone conversation between Dr Denaro and the former politician in which the staffer says the hospital has bowed to political pressure and taken the easy way out and, in doing, discriminated against Dr Davis. MNHHS has staunchly denied the allegations brought by Dr Davis in the tribunal proceedings. “This allegation dates back a numbers of years and as it is currently before QCAT, we are unable to comment in any detail,” a spokesperson said. “However we can state that the allegations are denied and the matter will be strongly defended.” Dr Davis is seeking general and aggravated damages, as well as future economic loss amounts, totalling $1.2 million. He also wants a public apology and changes to anti-discrimination training practices in the service.
August 5, 2016
Allied health professionals, including physiotherapists and radiographers, in Victorian public hospitals have struck a deal for a pay increase after walking off the job over the dispute. Thirty-three Victorian hospitals were affected by the stop-work on Thursday morning. Under the new deal, staff will receive a 12.5 per cent pay rise over four years and advanced clinical work will only be carried out by senior staff. The secretary of the Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association, Craig McGregor, said that had been one of the sticking points in negotiations. “We had genuine concerns about junior allied health clinicians providing advanced practice work, that is work of consultant radiologists and neurosurgeons, etcetera, well before they were clinically ready to do so,” Mr McGregor said. “Fortunately the Andrews Government came to their senses and put a position that alleviated our concerns around that issue.” Mr McGregor said he applauded the State Government for its decision but said it was disappointing it took industrial action to resolve the year-long dispute. “To be perfectly honest every step of the way has taken industrial action,” he said. “It seems to be this modus operandi where they will not move unless you take action, or seriously threaten action. “So it’s a pretty disappointing pattern.” Staff had planned to march on State Parliament in protest over the dispute, but once an agreement was reached, they marched in celebration. Workers said they were happy with the deal. Brendan, a radiographer of 15 years, said he was pleased with the agreement. “I think it’s pretty good, I think they’ve done a very good job,” he said. “I think the career structure is the most important, a defined structure from the base grades all the way up to increasing the chief.” He said there was strong support for the deal at the union meeting. “There was no-one that voted no, no-one abstained, it was overwhelmingly unanimous,” he said. The deal was struck between the Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association, and the Victorian Hospital Industrial Association. It will now go to the State Government for approval.
August 5, 2016
The Salvation Army denies it has “fired” two volunteers for speaking out about the future of the Dunedin foodbank and the treatment of the organisation’s staff. Former Dunedin Salvation Army volunteers Reg Ozanne and Tracey McCabe said they were “fired” by Salvation Army manager David McKenzie yesterday. The pair spoke about their concern for the future of the organisation’s foodbank after a staff restructure left seven people without jobs. Ms McCabe said she called the organisation to ask if she had been “fired” after Mr Ozanne told her he had been sacked when he went to the Salvation Army to complete his regular volunteer shift yesterday. Ms McCabe said she asked Mr McKenzie “have I been fired” and he replied “yes, you have been fired”. The volunteer of four years said she was told she had been sacked because she breached her contract by speaking to the media. After being told this, she claims the manager hung up on her. Mr Ozanne did not want to discuss his dismissal. However, he confirmed he was also told he was “fired” because of speaking to the media. Neither Ms McCabe nor Mr Ozanne could recall having signed contracts. Salvation Army southern division community ministry secretary Captain Lindsay Andrews said neither Ms McCabe nor Mr Ozanne had been fired. “They are volunteers. They cannot be fired.” Mr Ozanne had been “advised to take a temporary break” by the Dunedin manager, and the organisation had not asked Ms McCabe to change anything. “We have no intention to stop Tracey volunteering.”
August 4, 2016
Police are yet to lay charges over a stabbing at a Bundaberg disability centre. A 17-year-old resident allegedly threatened another resident and a member of staff with a knife on Monday before stabbing a 43-year-old man. The teenager is assisting police.
August 4, 2016
A health care worker who says she was sacked after blowing the whistle on severe understaffing and appalling patient conditions at a Northern NSW nursing home is suing her former employer for unfair dismissal. Dianne Bailey, 56, worked at RSL Care’s Darlington Retirement Village at Banora Point as an assistant in nursing for about a year before her casual employment contract was terminated. She said she had been working about 120 hours a month at the 90-patient residential care facility but after raising concerns about staff safety and patients being left sitting in their own body waste for hours, she was placed “on-call” and her contract was later terminated. In a claim to the Fair Work Commission, Ms Bailey says she raised such concerns several times during her employment. After she attended a meeting with management in May she was taken off the roster, the claim says. She was formally dismissed on July 7. She was allegedly told she didn’t fit into the workplace culture and there had been “issues with her conduct”. Ms Bailey told of shocking incidents she saw, including patients not being given adequate pain relief and going days without showers. “I’d come home from work distraught about the care the residents hadn’t received,” she said. “Someone needs to stand up and say, ‘That’s enough’.” RSL Care has denied all her allegations. CEO Stephen Muggleton said he could not comment on individual cases of dismissal but said the organisation had not received any complaints from Ms Bailey. “It’s never acceptable to compromise the safety or care of our residents,” he said. “We investigate every concern raised … as a result of the investigation, we strongly refute this allegation. “Darlington, Banora Point is a well-run site with dedicated and caring staff and a close-knit community. “The site was assessed by the Aged Care Quality Agency in March 2016 meeting all compliance requirements and standards.” Maurice Blackburn lawyer Patrick Turner said the case raised questions about treatment of staff at other residential care facilities. “This is one of the larger aged-care providers in Australia and it raises questions about the treatment of staff at these other facilities,” he said. “Staff should never be penalised for blowing the whistle … people should be protected when they stand up and stay something.”
August 4, 2016
Ashford Hospital nurses should have prevented the death of a 34-year old man who suffered a fatal heart attack after gastric surgery nearly three years ago, the state Coroner has found. The nurses failed to heed 33 alarms in 40 minutes.
August 4, 2016
Wuchopperen Health Service Limited is facing a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) and a s.372 (Application to deal with other contravention disputes) both at the instigation of a staff member (Cooper).
