Western Health’s acting chief executive officer is not aware of claims that junior doctors experience routine bullying and harassment while on placement in Ballarat.
More allegations have emerged about a toxic workplace culture at Ballarat Health Services, with senior and junior medical staff complaining their experience at the hospital has had a severe impact on their career and mental health.
Leong Fook Ng, who was recruited from the UK to head up the oncology unit at Ballarat Hospital in 2003, said he was a victim of an aggressive campaign at the hospital that caused lasting damage to his career.
Western Health, which is based at Footscray, sends junior registrars to Ballarat each year as part of routine training.
The acting chief executive, Russell Harrison, said the placements were part of supporting rural and regional hospitals but he was not aware of any specific problems.
“It’s good experience for those staff, but part of the return is around debriefing, supporting. And any issues that are coming from that we treat very seriously,” he said.
“But I’m not aware of us having any of those [issues] raised with us, certainly that I’m aware of.”
Mr Harrison is confident in the hospital’s internal processes for managing bullying complaints.
“We investigate them [complaints] very thoroughly, when they’re made,” he said.
“We investigate them, often externally. Whatever the outcomes are of that particular investigation or matter we then resolve or put in place steps to address that.”
The ABC has been in contact with several junior doctors from Melbourne who have complained about experiences of bullying while on placement in Ballarat in the past 12 months.
One doctor, who was too fearful of repercussions to her career to be interviewed, claimed her placement experience drove her to attempt suicide.
Victoria’s Health Minister has commissioned a consultant to review Ballarat Health Service’s workplace culture, in the wake of the bullying complaints.