The Queensland government wants to make sure no impostors are working in the state’s health system. Source: AAP
QUEENSLAND’S government is on the hunt for fake health workers after catching an impostor allegedly posing as a nurse.
ALL state health workers are being screened after Nicholas Crawford fronted a Cairns court on Thursday, charged with impersonating a Northern Territory nurse at a remote Cape York hospital.
Health Minister Cameron Dick wants to ensure there are no other fakes in the system and it never happens again. “It is completely unacceptable to impersonate a doctor, a nurse, or any other health worker or professional,” he said. The minister explained how Crawford, who’s facing more than 100 charges, was caught because the registration number of the NT nurse he was impersonating didn’t match his employee details in the payroll system. Mr Dick said in future all health professionals should be comprehensively screened when they apply to work in the state. He has also put the creation of a national health worker database on the agenda of the Commonwealth’s Workforce Ministerial Council, which meets in two weeks. “I was greatly concerned that there was evidence, anecdotally, that this fellow had worked in other parts of the nation,” Mr Dick added. “I don’t want anyone like this getting into the system.”