Thursday, October 22, 2009

Reports From Westmead Staff

We are receiving reports that staff at Westmead Hospital are being threatened for using this blog. Here are some tips:

1) Remember What You Are Doing.

Our focus is the Community we serve. The delivery of health services to the people of NSW is what we are about, and whatever threatens access to health care needs to be corrected.


2) Maintain Online Anonymity.


If you haven't done so already, download the "Tor Bundle" to a 50MB or more flashdrive or your home computer:
https://www.torproject.org/easy-download.html.en
The instructions are on the website.
Tor protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location.


3) Get Organized.

It starts with a small group of trusted individuals who meet regularly and discretely. Also, you should become members of your professional association or union if you are not already.



5) Have Courage.
Abusers use fear to control their victims, threatening them if they tell anyone about the abuse. The more abuse is exposed, the less power it has. Let your professional association or union know what is happening. Courage is not a lack of fear, but rather, the ability to act and move forward despite our fear. Fear does terrible things to people if it is allowed to take over. Remember, we are all in this together. Its a mess, but we can work it out. Encourage each other. Sometimes a knowing smile is all it takes.



6) Be Non-Violent and Don't Do Anything Illegal.

Do not breach breach patient confidentiality. Don't slander or make libellous claims against individuals. Do not accuse people of crimes or misconduct online. If someone has committed a crime or is guilty of misconduct, you should inform the proper authorities (police, ICAC etc.)

20 comments:

  1. Sadly the culture of bullying , harrassment and intimidation at Westmead continue unabated .
    There is a conspiracy of silence from those in positions who ought to care about the conditions Nursing staff are working in at Westemad.
    To permitt or to perpetuate this behaviour as occurs at Westmead is in direct contravention of NSW Dept of Health Policy on Bullying. When is comming to work in fear going to stop for nurses at Westmead.

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  2. This blog spot is like a candle flickering at the end of a very dark tunnel. As the world celebrates the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, I view this as the first few attempts to chip away at the wall of silence by competent clinical staff. Keep going! I would love to see other hospitals start up their web site to let their voices be heard.

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  3. Threats are a daily way of life at Westmead Hospital especially in Nursing where avoidable clinical incidents are either not reported or the information is sanitised and staff live in fear of challenging this atrocious behaviour.
    Imms are regularily downgraded when they ought not be downgraded. How long is it before an Inquiry is held into the opertations and culture of Westmead Hospital.

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  4. The Code of Conduct is used as a weapon against staff for it does not in any way ensure ethical, humane and decent behaviour at Westmead Hospital.
    It violates Human Rights .It is censorious. I prevents transparency and promotes thuggery and oppression .

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  5. Why is there no disucssion surrounding the erosion or closing down of clinical services and beds at Westmead Hospital. The Public of Western Sydney deserve to be informed.
    Why are the corridors of Westmead and SWAHS filled with Health bureaucrats who are being paid but have no active jobs?

    Public organisations and Public Servants in particular the Health Bureacrats are behaving like dictators when they ought to be accountable to the Public.
    There is no transparency . This is a dangerous precedent in our society.

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  6. How much longer will the intolerable oppression of nursing staff continue at Westmead Hospital.

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  7. Now the Nursing Exec of SWAHS and Westmead not content with the destruction of Nursing are now proposing a destructive re-structure of Nursing Education at Westmead and SWAHS. This has been done without consultation with the consumers ie the Nurses. The process lacks transparencey and epitomises the culture within the Nursing Executive

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  8. SWAHS and WMH Exec continue to corrupt the many and varied processes such as Clinical Governance, HR and Financial Probity and now the VR process : it was revealed that a former Snr Nurse from the WMH Nursing Exec who had been granted VR and departed in Dec.,. has been reportedly requested to return to take a post at Westmead. It is high time an Upper House Inquiry into the serious and ongoing issues at SWAHS and Westmead in particular is undertaken.

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  9. without exception the Executive of SWAHS and Westmead Hospital have to be commended for their oppression of staff, denial of free speech, lack of transparency in all matters.
    Have they not read SICK TO DEATH written by Thomas Hedley , a book which outlines the pathology in Bundaberg Hospital and Qld Health which led to a total breakdown of clinical governance and abuse of human resource policies and more

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  10. Westmead Nursing staff were threatened with disciplinary action by the members of the Nursing Executive last week if they atteneded the NSWNA Protest.

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  11. On Friday Westmead Hospital was 30 Nurses short for the morning shift and only 10 Nurses were replaced!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  12. The lack of transparency at Westmead Hospital, the cover-ups and more are gradualing being exposed in the SMH. How can our colleauges not stand up en mass for it is the cover up or non reporting of clinical incidents and 'doctoring of data' \ which is inflicting tremendous uncessary pain and suffering on the paitients of Western Sydney and on their families.
    Silence is a tyranny!!! Who has a conscience?
    'Doctoring data' is a serious matter and one has to question why ICAC is not investigating this matter

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  13. The massive nursing vacancies at westmead needs to be exposed. Why is the continual corrupting of information in the DOHRs report permitted . The practice of mishandling the information in the Dohs report has been occuring for several years and those who have conducted this practice ought to be brought to account

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  14. Serious under reporting of clinical incidents has been occuring for the past 5 years . This is well known, as is the downgrading of serious incidents (sanitising of).
    Why are pages of clinical notes permitted to disappear in the Clinical Goverance department whilst RCA's are in progress and Senior staff in the Exec are well aware of this practice.
    Does anyone have a consicience or by knowing this to have been occuring and doing nothing for the past several years they are participating in this dreadful act.

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  15. Why are meetings not minuted at Westmead and al ldirectives offered verbally so that they cant be tracked???? Sounds suspcious well it is.
    Minutes of meetings are either not taken or hightly censored. What does this sound like?
    Is this the behaviour of an open and transparent organisation. What do they have to hide?

    A major inquiry into the operations of Westmead is required to expose all of these actions must be held. Who is accountable who will stand an be counted or will this conspiracy of silence prevail

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  16. I am saddened by the state of Westmead hospital. I have worked in this hospital for many years and in fact was working at Westmead some 30 years ago when it opened. The level of bullying now is high but it is not overt bullying but covert and difficult to prove. Unfortunately it ismeaning that many experienced nurses have had enough and are leaving in droves. The future is looking bleak for staff and patients alike

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  17. Nothing short of a major EXTERNAL Inquiry/Investigation into the operations of Westmead Hospital will expose the corruption of clinical governance, the extent of the cutlure of Bullying , Harassement and Intimidation which prevails at Westmead

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  18. Westmead Staff need to challenge the current regime at Westmead and Speak out loud .Write directly to the NSWNA Head Office in Camperdown then you can be assured that your issue will be dealt with openly and honestly and without retribution.

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  19. HOw many more avoidable deaths and avoidable adverse clinical outcomes can we have at Westmead before there is a major inquiry. This is State sponsored genocide!!!!!!!!!!!
    Moreover the Bullying culture needs to be exposed and the perpetrators SACKED. We all know who they are and they occupy very senior Nursing roles at Westmead and In the AHS

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  20. The bullying , harassment and intimidation of Nurses by the Nursing Exec at Westmead continues unabated!!!!!!! This entrenched culture appears to continue unabated.
    Clinical Governance remains corrupted with Imms not written for serious incidents , Imms 1,2 and 3 are downgraded to avoid further scruitiny.
    Where is the collective conscience. Surgical Waiting list scandals recently . This is the tip of the iceberg at Westmead and SWAHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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To encourage other staff to speak out, you have the option of selecting "Anonymous" when commenting. The blogger works in the hospital and knows if comments are true or not. False comments will be removed.