Health Minister knew of danger to nurses, says Labor MP

The office of Health Minister Stephen Robertson says he responded urgently to concerns raised by a Labor colleague about security problems in the Torres Strait three years ago.

Member for Cook Jason O'Brien has broken ranks with his party to reveal he directly raised the concerns about the safety of nurses working in the area in 2005.

The damning revelations, aired on Channel 10, directly embroil the minister in the furore following his denials that he knew about a 2006 report which detailed the security problems, 16 months before a nurse was allegedly raped on Mabuiag Island in February this year.

``Some of the things in the action plan had been followed through, but not all of them and that's disappointing,'' Mr O'Brien said.

The MP also revealed he received an email from a woman raising concerns about the health centre on the island 10 days before the alleged rape occurred.

She said it was not secure because window and door locks worked only intermittently and asked for a $10 fire alarm to be installed but was refused.

Mr O'Brien did not forward the email to the health minister's office until February 13, and did not get a confirmation they had received it until 13 days later.

But a statement from Mr Robertson's office said the Minister had responded promptly to Mr O'Brien's concerns.

"In relation to Mr O'Brien's letter dated (9 December, 2005) about Mer Island, Mr Robertson wrote back to Mr O'Brien advising him that since his visit urgent work was completed or underway as a matter of priority", the statement said.

It said Mr Robertson advised that the "whole of the health centre floor was being replaced, a senior plumbing contractor had flown in to investigate, clear blockages and remedy the underlying problem and other actions taken".

The statement also questioned Mr O'Brien's claim of complaints to QBuild about broken windows at Mer Health Centre.

"Contrary to Mr O'Brien's letter, Mr Robertson was advised that QBuild had no record of either old or outstanding requests to repair windows or associated damage at Mer Health Centre", the statement said.

"However, work was requested on August 26, 2005 from the local council to repair damage to the facility. Advice included that works were carried out to secure the centre and replace one window."

The statement said the current immediate repair program includes Mer Island.

It said bad weather this week had forced a scheduled repair team visit to be rescheduled for March 25.

"In relation to the nurse's email, the Minister's office received Mr O'Brien's letter on February 25 and a meeting was organised between the Minister and Mr O'Brien two days later", the statement said. "Details of the actual island were obscured. "

"At that meeting, Mr O'Brien was advised that a team was visiting islands at the time between February 25-29 to determine the extent of issues on the islands. "

"That resulted in the Environmental Scan report which was completed on March 5 and is currently being actioned."

The statement said that the nurse's email referred to security concerns and a lack of smoke alarms, an issue which would be addressed by an electrician and locksmith who were part of the immediate repair team.

"Smoke alarms are currently being fitted or repaired on all islands. "

The latest furore comes as Mr Robertson returns from Torres Strait after travelling there to get a first-hand look at security for health workers.

Nurses are threatening to strike from March 28 if security does not improve in the state's remote north.

A nurse was raped on remote Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait last month and was told to return to work after the attack, receiving no help to leave the island.

Mr Robertson has been under fire this week over his handling of health workers' security issues.

A spokesman said the minister was visiting a number of islands in the region to inspect progress on security improvements.

Yesterday, another nurse, remote area specialist Janine Evans, 43, broke her silence to reveal how health authorities exposed her to danger by failing to tell her about a written threat to her safety while working at Hopevale, on Cape York; and later heartlessly hauled her through the courts over taking a work vehicle to escape another community.

It took at least three weeks before a Cairns-based manager informed Ms Evans about the letter, from the family of a patient, which warned she should never work with Aboriginal people again and "if we see her on her days off she should watch out".

In an extraordinary admission, Queensland Health said it had no specific policy for staff if they received written or verbal threats. "Anyone with fears for their safety should contact police," a spokeswoman said.

Ms Evans said: "I just think it's terrible to leave me in there when they knew about the threats," she said.

Ms Evans was later taken to court over a work vehicle she used to escape Coen, on Cape York. She fled because she was struggling to cope, blaming a lack of support.

The latest allegations show that the crisis in remote health is not just confined to the Torres Strait, where nurses are threatening to strike from March 28 if conditions do not improve.

Ms Evans told her bosses she was struggling and wanted to leave Coen in 2005 but they told her "to cope" because there was no one to replace her.
On May 4, she drove the community's only day-to-day Queensland Health vehicle to Cairns, where she returned it with the keys to a police station.

Queensland Health pursued the charges through the courts, where Ms Evans was convicted, fined about $600 and given a 12-month good behaviour bond.

The spokeswoman also said Ms Evans, who quit in 2005, did not have permission to take the vehicle to Cairns.

"Ms Evans was not the only Queensland Health staff member based in Coen at the time and that car was not reserved for her exclusive use," she said.

"It was used for the transport of patients, the transport of doctors between the airport and the town, and the transport of health workers for outreach work.

"Queensland Health sought legal advice after Ms Evans had been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle. That advice indicated that Queensland Health should not intervene in the ongoing legal process.

The court subsequently found that she had used a Queensland Health vehicle inappropriately."

Ms Evans said the situation in the Cape was as dire as in the Torres Strait, where she also worked. Asked if she believed managers did not care about remote workers, Ms Evans said the main problem was a lack of experience.

"A lot of them have never worked in a remote area," she said. "I just don't think they have the experience and I don't think they have the skills to handle things in a crisis situation.

"I just don't think they have a clue. I'm not sure that they don't care, it's just beyond them."

Source: The Courier Mail

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