Revelations of an alleged toxic culture at Calvary Hospital paint a disturbing picture of a workplace entrusted with the health care of the territory.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A four-month investigation by the Sunday Canberra Times has shed light on what appears to be a climate of fear for many workers at the hospital.
Staff currently employed at the hospital and some who have left have agreed to share their stories of working in alleged toxic environments where bullying and harassment is rampant.
These whistleblowers have raised allegations of bullying coming from fellow employees as well as those in management.
They say staff are too frightened to report the harassment because of reprisals from management and the fact that complaints are not private.
Several sources said conditions were so bad they had concerns for the patients in Calvary's care.
Little Company of Mary Health Care has detailed the hospital's policy around dealing with such allegations and said it provides a safe environment for hospital staff.
These sentiments are positive and there is little doubt that policies are in place to protect workers; but the alleged concerns of these staff need to be taken seriously.
Bullying and harassment within the public health care sector is not new and is a problem that experts warn is largely hidden given the tendency of victims to keep quiet.
Documents obtained by the Sunday Canberra Times in January showed that seven of 22 cases of inappropriate staff conduct within the sector reported to ACT Health during the past financial year were bullying or harassment related.
Two staff members were sacked as a result of the allegations and a further three resigned before the conclusion of the investigation.
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons has said that such incidents are underestimated and unreported in hospitals because they run as a hierarchy - those lower down the tiers won't report because they feel it would impede their progress.
The college has been running a campaign since 2015 into eliminating bullying and harassment in hospitals across the country.
A 2015 KPMG report found junior doctors at Canberra Hospital faced sexual harassment and propositioning in the workplace, with items thrown at staff and abusive phone calls and emails.
It is of huge concern that bullying and harassment appears to be rife within the public health care sector; and in particular in the public wards of Calvary Hospital.
Those in charge claim to take bullying allegations seriously but it is clear that staff don't trust the system in place and it will take more than words to change what is alleged to be a toxic culture.