❓ Hon. Aaron Stonehouse questions the Minister for Health regarding bullying allegations at Royal Perth Hospital, staff resignations, and the handling of complaints. The Minister responds, stating a zero-tolerance policy and low resignation rate.
AnsweredQoN 597Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
ROYAL PERTH HOSPITAL —
BULLYING ALLEGATIONS
597. Hon AARON STONEHOUSE to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer the Minister for Health to a
story published by Nathan Hondros on the WAtoday website yesterday, 15 June 2020,
titled '''Generational war' rages at RPH with dozens of
senior Perth doctors accused of bullying''.
(1) How many
doctors and surgeons between the ages of 40 and 65 years have resigned or
withdrawn their services from Royal Perth Hospital in the past 12 months?
(2) How many
accusations of bullying have been lodged in that period, how many have been
investigated, and how many are still under investigation?
(3) Does the
minister recognise a system that was described in the article as being
heavy-handed, unfair and broken; and, if he does, what does he intend to do to
turn it around and increase the retention rate of qualified senior staff?
BULLYING ALLEGATIONS
597. Hon AARON STONEHOUSE to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer the Minister for Health to a
story published by Nathan Hondros on the WAtoday website yesterday, 15 June 2020,
titled '''Generational war' rages at RPH with dozens of
senior Perth doctors accused of bullying''.
(1) How many
doctors and surgeons between the ages of 40 and 65 years have resigned or
withdrawn their services from Royal Perth Hospital in the past 12 months?
(2) How many
accusations of bullying have been lodged in that period, how many have been
investigated, and how many are still under investigation?
(3) Does the
minister recognise a system that was described in the article as being
heavy-handed, unfair and broken; and, if he does, what does he intend to do to
turn it around and increase the retention rate of qualified senior staff?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) Ten doctors
have resigned and a further seven have retired in the past 12 months. Reasons
for staff resignations are not recorded.
(2) No formal bullying complaints have been lodged in the
past 12 months.
(3) The Western Australian health system has a zero-tolerance
approach to bullying and all staff members are encouraged to report inappropriate behaviour to ensure it can be
appropriately investigated, with disciplinary action taken as required.
In addition, all health service providers, including the East Metropolitan
Health Service, have integrity and misconduct processes in place to ensure
staff feel supported and empowered to discuss any concerns. Royal Perth Bentley
Group has a total senior consultant salaried workforce of 450 staff. The resignations
in the past 12 months equate to 2.2 per cent of this workforce.
some notice of the question.
(1) Ten doctors
have resigned and a further seven have retired in the past 12 months. Reasons
for staff resignations are not recorded.
(2) No formal bullying complaints have been lodged in the
past 12 months.
(3) The Western Australian health system has a zero-tolerance
approach to bullying and all staff members are encouraged to report inappropriate behaviour to ensure it can be
appropriately investigated, with disciplinary action taken as required.
In addition, all health service providers, including the East Metropolitan
Health Service, have integrity and misconduct processes in place to ensure
staff feel supported and empowered to discuss any concerns. Royal Perth Bentley
Group has a total senior consultant salaried workforce of 450 staff. The resignations
in the past 12 months equate to 2.2 per cent of this workforce.
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