Staff at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital fear there is a leadership crisis at the hospital and are demanding to meet bosses. Source: News Limited
FURIOUS staff at Queensland’s biggest hospital are preparing to confront their board tomorrow in what is expected to be a hostile airing of grievances over a leadership crisis and claims of bullying and intimidation.
The meeting follows a frank discussion on Friday between senior doctors and Queensland Health director-general Ian Maynard about escalating problems at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
Mr Maynard has arranged for Metro North Hospital and Health Service board members to attend an all-staff meeting on campus tomorrow.
The extraordinary meeting was triggered by the abrupt departure of the RBWH executive director Keshwar Baboolal on October 20, the latest in a string of Metro North executive directors who have either resigned, been sacked or suspended since the board was installed more than two years ago.
Nurses Union secretary Beth Mohle says morale has hit an all time low at the RBWH which she said is “rudderless”. Picture: Liam Kidston.
Board chairman Paul Alexander left on holidays within days of Professor Baboolal’s departure and is unlikely to attend tomorrow’s meeting.
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His performance is expected to come under scrutiny at the meeting with staff representative groups angry he’s refused to meet with them.
Queensland Nurses’ Union secretary Beth Mohle said morale at the RBWH was “at an all-time low”.
“The organisation is rudderless right now,” she said. “Our members want to know there’s a plan for addressing the leadership vacuum.
“We’re in the middle of trying to deal with a worldwide Ebola crisis and a hospital like the RBWH is at the absolute frontline in developing a strategy to address that and they need to have confidence that they’ve got appropriate leadership to confront these clinical challenges.”
Ms Mohle said staff were fearful of speaking out about problems within the hospital, in case it affected their careers.
Their concerns follow the suspension of two Cairns doctors last month who spoke to the media about their hospital’s Ebola response.
“The culture of bullying and intimidation is really concerning me,” Ms Mohle said.
Mr Maynard said he took what he had heard at Friday’s meeting “very seriously”. He would work to resolve the issues and would relay staff concerns to the health minister.