NSW: Health whistleblowers to get parliamentary protection

AAP General News (Australia)
12-15-2003
NSW: Health whistleblowers to get parliamentary protection

SYDNEY, Dec 15 AAP - Doctors and nurses will soon be able to give frank and protected
evidence about problems in NSW hospitals, with a new committee today formed to investigate
complaint handling in the health system.

The NSW upper house's General Purpose Standing Committee 2, chaired by Christian Democrat
MLC Gordon Moyes, will hold an inquiry early next year into complaints handling procedures
in the NSW health system.

It follows the controversy unleashed by a damning report into substandard care at Campbelltown
and Camden hospitals in Sydney's south-west which led to the deaths of 19 patients.

The appalling level of care was only uncovered after five nurses blew the whistle on
poor and inadequate health practices at the hospitals.

Opposition health spokesman Barry O'Farrell said doctors and nurses who were prepared
to speak off the record about problems at other hospitals would be able to come forward
and give evidence under privilege to the upper house committee.

"The opposition has argued long and hard that the systems that failed at Camden and
Campbelltown hospitals are not isolated to those hospitals," he told reporters.

"But they (doctors and nurses) know if they put their head up to complain about it,
too often those heads are either chopped off or there's intimidation or bullying going
on.

"This inquiry will enable doctors and nurses to give evidence in privilege, with protection,
on the state of systems across the rest of the public hospital system."

AAP jph/jh/jv/jlw

KEYWORD: HOSPITALS NIGHTLEAD

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