Report details bullying, culture issues at Qld hospital

May 11, 2023 01:07 PM AEST | By AAPNEWS
 Report details bullying, culture issues at Qld hospital
Image source: AAPNEWS

High levels of bullying and a fear of speaking out have been reported by mental health staff at a major Queensland hospital after a "temperature check" of workplace culture.

Details of staff sentiment and experience came to light on Thursday after the Liberal National opposition tabled an insights report into the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.

The 2021/22 document outlines the experiences of mental health staff working in the state's far north. 

More than 60 per cent of respondents reported experiencing workplace bullying in the previous six months, citing behaviour including verbal abuse, persistent criticism, ridicule and humiliation.

Supervisors were reported as the most likely source of bullying, and a strong mistrust and profound lack of faith in some of the leadership team was a strong theme. 

Respondents also reported being afraid to speak up for fear of retribution and the recruitment of unqualified staff. 

The health service's Mental Health, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Service had drawn internal criticism regarding workplace culture in 2021, the report says. 

Internal stakeholders and unions were partnered with to commission the workplace culture "temperature check". 

The process was confidential and voluntary, and the response rate was generally below 40 per cent. 

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the leaked document pointed to "an entrenched culture of blame" inside Queensland Health. 

"Doctors, nurses and allied health professional should be empowered and valued in their roles, not subjected to the systemic workplace bullying they have been under the Palaszczuk Labor government," Mr Crisafulli said.

In response to questions about the report shortly after it was tabled in parliament on Thursday, Health Minister Yvette D'Ath confirmed it had been provided last month by the chief executive, who signed off on all recommendations. 

"I welcome the fact that we have (hospital and health services) doing these cultural behaviour reviews so that they can identify areas for improvement," Ms D'Ath said. 

"I've made it clear as health minister that we need to improve the culture across our health system." 


Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Pty Ltd (“Kalkine Media, we or us”), ACN 629 651 672 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The principal purpose of the Content is to educate and inform. The Content does not contain or imply any recommendation or opinion intended to influence your financial decisions and must not be relied upon by you as such. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, but is NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold the stocks of the company(s) or engage in any investment activity under discussion. Kalkine Media is neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice through this platform. Users should make their own enquiries about any investments and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary.
The content published on Kalkine Media also includes feeds sourced from third-party providers. Kalkine does not assert any ownership rights over the content provided by these third-party sources. The inclusion of such feeds on the Website is for informational purposes only. Kalkine does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the content obtained from third-party feeds. Furthermore, Kalkine Media shall not be held liable for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the content obtained from third-party feeds, nor for any damages or losses arising from the use of such content.
Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used on this website are copyrighted to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used on this website unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used on this website are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have made reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated as or found to be necessary.
This disclaimer is subject to change without notice. Users are advised to review this disclaimer periodically for any updates or modifications.


AU_advertise

Advertise your brand on Kalkine Media

Sponsored Articles


Investing Ideas

Previous Next
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.