“Sweep it under the rug”: Whistleblowers allege cover-ups and intimidation at Newcastle’s Calvary Mater Hospital
Allegations that serious risks were downplayed or concealed at the Calvary Mater and that workers who flagged concerns were threatened or pushed out of their roles have been revealed as part of a submission to an inquiry into the hospital’s management.
In its submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into management, maintenance and operational issues at the Calvary Mater Hospital, the Health Services Union has included staff reports of a “sweep it under the rug” culture as part of the private maintenance contract which the Novacare consortium is responsible for.
After years of failures under the Public Private Partnership model, the HSU is using its submission to call for a full review of the contract compliance and greater accountability and transparency amongst the public private arrangements in the state health system.
“Staff have been reporting issues with the hospital maintenance going back almost a decade. Whistleblowers have revealed they were pressured to water down findings of failings, and that some quality and performance reports were altered to downplay the seriousness of safety risks,” HSU Secretary Gerard Hayes said.
“Our members have reported facing intimidation and harassment, including being threatened with the loss of their job if they escalated concerns. It’s disturbing behaviour from a contractor that puts profit over people, creating unsafe conditions for staff and patients.
“HSU members are working at full capacity at Calvary Mater. They simply want to come to work and deliver the best and safest services possible to the community, but the current environment is preventing them from doing that” Gerard Hayes said.
Maintenance failures have been well reported at the hospital, ranging from mould to potable water issues. HSU’s submission highlights rectification of the potable water issue at the hospital was delayed on cost grounds, with SafeWork and the Health Minister eventually stepping in to take over control of critical repair works.
“Public Private Partnerships put staff and the public at risk and undermine trust. By allowing companies to make a profit from our public health facilities, everyone except those companies loses,” Gerard Hayes said.
HSU has used its submission to urge the state government to launch an independent investigation into the alleged bullying, harassment and reported retaliation by Honeywell, (part of the Novarcare consortium and responsible for “hard facilities management”) and Novacare management, including providing protections for current and former workers what have raised concerns.
It also calls for the maintenance and rectification works claimed by Novacare to be independently audited, and to fully assess the building’s conditions, as well as creating a safe and accessible escalation pathway for healthcare workers to report unsafe conditions without compromising their jobs.
Media contact: Nick Lucchinelli - 0422 229 032