You may have heard that we have had distressing reports from members at Caboolture Hospital in relation to patient safety concerns and unsafe work practices. We have written numerous letters urging the Executives to protect Queensland Health employees and patients at Caboolture Hospital by launching an official investigation into the matter. After these fell on deaf ears, we provided details to the media and as a result the Government has agreed to an investigation.
On 2 September 2021, the Courier Mail reported: “Nurses Professional Association Queensland state secretary Aenghas Hopkinson-Pearson said that the government’s concession to finally launch an inquiry into Caboolture Hospital was a win for patient safety and addressing Queensland Health’s toxic bullying culture, but did not go far enough.
“Patient care is at the heart of everything a nurse does,” he said.
“At its core, rampant bullying and unsafe practices have allowed the Caboolture Crisis to spiral out of control.
“In order to achieve good health outcomes, these issues need to be addressed at their core, and it’s only because of the good work of the majority of nurses and doctors at Caboolture that this crisis isn’t worse than it already is.”
On 20 September, The Courier Mail reported “Nurses Professional Association Queensland state secretary Aenghas Hopkinson-Pearson said that the inquiry into Caboolture Hospital fell short of the independent inquiry they had called for.
“Metro North investigating itself will inevitably result in finding that shows no fault,” he said.
“There’s obviously an issue at Caboolture, nurses and doctors are still contacting us daily, too scared to speak publicly in fear that their careers will be threatened by Queensland Health.
“It’s crucial that whistleblowers are protected.”