Junior doctors at John Hunter Hospital are considering strike action after an email scandal revealed increasing workplace toxicity and hazards.
The workers’ frustrations reached a breaking point when an admin error exposed the nasty culture within hospitals across the state.
An email was mistakenly sent to a junior doctor who allegedly spoke up about being rostered on for 10 night shifts in a row, a practice which has been deemed unsafe for staff and their patients.
The message from a manager stated, “I wonder if any of them realise that they are a doctor and that this is what happens.
“Oh, that’s right… I forgot.
“Life style before career.
“God help us in the future.
“We are going to have a workforce of clinical marshmellows.”
Doctors Union President Dr Nicholas Spooner said the email was not an isolated incident at one hospital.
“It is a symptom of the broader crisis within our public hospitals that is playing out across NSW,” he said.
“Hospitals are severely understaffed and can’t meet patient demand. We have a toxic workplace culture that demands doctors risk their own health and safety to fill rosters.
“And we have workplace conditions that were written 50 years ago.
“This is creating a pressure cooker in our hospitals, and we really need the NSW Premier to step in before it escalates further.”
Now, junior doctors and fellow staff from across the Hunter have gathered to voice their distain with the toxic culture and expectations held by upper management.
Those involved in the protest were proudly screaming “strike, strike, strike”, using their absence as a threat against the NSW health system.
Junior Vice President Dr Tom Morrison said they are demanding an intervention from the state government to help ease pressures on the workforce.
“We are finding the humour in what in reality is a pretty catastrophic situation for junior doctors,” he explained.
“Junior doctors are on the frontline of our healthcare system and the last thing they should expect is to be mocked by their own employer.
“We have endured years of unsafe work, we are chronically understaffed.
“It is disheartening to know that the NSW Government don’t value junior doctors or our public health system.
“Junior doctors are calling on the Premier to immediately put an end to this toxic culture and address the systemic issues forcing doctors to work excessive hours in unsafe conditions.
“Chris Minns must step in and act now before junior doctors decide they’ve had enough for good.
“Without real change fast the NSW healthcare system is at risk, and soon there might be no ‘clinical marshmallows’ left.”
For more news stories:
- Jnr doctors fight back after John Hunter ‘marshmallow’ email
- Redevelopment of Liddell Power station given green light
- New principals begin term in the Hunter
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