Page 4020 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video

---

(ii) capacity constraints that may have compromised patient safety;

(iii) staff morale that had plummeted; and

(iv) nurses and doctors under enormous pressure and highly stressed;

(e) on 7 November 2014 serious concerns were again raised by TCH staff to the media and to the Opposition about the maternity unit, including that the recent accreditation review conducted by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG);

(f) The Canberra Times on 7 November 2014 titled “Worst in Australia: Canberra maternity unit under pressure” reported:

(i) allegations of bullying and mismanagement;

(ii) doctors have alleged a toxic culture exists at the hospital, with hapless management and departures of senior staff contributing to poor patient outcomes;

(iii) one visiting assessor reportedly described Canberra as having “the worst maternity training unit in Australia”;

(iv) one doctor said the new Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, opened in 2013, had too few beds and staff being trained faced bullying and unrealistic work demands;

(v) another person with specific knowledge of the situation said serious cultural problems existed and they feared a serious accident or staff suicide; and”

(vi) “extreme distress, fatigue and lack of coping. Everybody is still performing their job as best they can in very difficult circumstances. This has been ongoing for months or even longer”;

(g) the ABC on 7 November 2014 titled “Canberra Hospital at risk of losing teaching accreditation” reported:

(i) TCH could lose its accreditation as a teaching hospital amid accusations of a “toxic” culture of bullying in the maternity department;

(ii) staff bullying has plagued the department since concerns were first raised four years ago;

(iii) several doctors have told the ABC staff relations at the hospital have deteriorated to the point where patient care has suffered; and

(iv) one senior staff member told the ABC the department was a “car wreck”, while others have spoken about verbal threats of violence and intimidating emails; and

---

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video