Red flags have been raised following confirmation of 25 new doctors within the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service having restrictions on their practice. *
The new health data was released by the State Government in a Question on Notice asked by Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett.
Mr Bennett said local veteran and senior doctors are being run off their feet.
“It’s no secret that our doctors and nurses are being worked to the bone, running double shifts just to keep our hospital doors open,” he said.
“It seems Labor’s answer is to Band-Aid over the problem by hiring doctors with restrictions, creating more work and hassle for our few senior staff.
“If these restricted or lesser experienced doctors are not getting the supervision they need, what does this do to not only their career but also their patients?
“Mistakes cannot afford to be made.
“Our community has a right to know what these restrictions are.
“The performance level of the WBHHS has dropped dramatically from a Level 1 (Excellent) to Level 3 (Unsatisfactory) in just three years. **
“The data is there, the stories are mounting, it’s clear the Health Minister and her chaotic Labor Government are scrambling.
“This State Labor Government is in chaos and crisis and doctors, nurses, and their patients are caught in the middle.”
Patient advocate Beryl Crosby raised the alarm after hearing from multiple concerned patients about their treatment.
“I have been told we are one of the HHS who take on the most overseas doctors with restrictions and doctors who are not Australian trained that require training on the job,” she said.
“This means patients are in the hands of doctors who need to be supervised.
“The doctors who do the training require 30 percent of their time to dedicate to this training, which means that even if we have these doctors who are able to train, that’s a huge amount of time taken away from patient care and wait lists.
“Having so many doctors with restrictions is dangerous and compromises patient safety.”
* SOURCE: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/questionsanswers/2023/1273-2023.pdf
** SOURCE: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/questionsanswers/2022/1381-2022.pdf
12/12/2023