Westmead Hospital stripped of ICU training accreditation following bullying claims
Westmead Hospital has been stripped of its Intensive Care Unit training accreditation. There had been serious complaints of bullying and harassment made by staff against senior medical staff for years. Although serious bullying by senior nurses and hospital administrators has also formed the basis of complaints in the past, they do not appear to have influenced this decision.
The College of Intensive Care stripped Westmead Hospital of its ICU training credentials following the complaints.
The Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) appointed an independent investigator. However it appears that WSLHD is, itself, part of the problem.
The Australian Salaried Medical Officer's Federation NSW (ASMOF) said that the removal of the accreditation signaled "serious failings and the erosion of trust and confidence in management from the district to effectively and appropriately deal with such conduct."
Westmead Hospital senior clinician Mark Priestly said "It's probably worth notifying that there was no suggestion by the intensive care unit of any problem with the quality of the patient care, in fact the care in the intensive care unit is excellent."
That is probably because the bullied doctors pulled together to ensure that patient care did not suffer. For example when the incompetent and bullying Dr William Tarnow Mordi was head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Westmead Hospital, the other senior clinicians pulled together to cover his shifts and attempt to correct any deficits in his care. The result was that patient care in the Unit largely remained 'excellent'. However at least one baby was dreadfully damaged for life and Westmead Hospital and the Health Department had to pay out millions of dollars in damages and compensation. Senior Westmead Hospital managers and human resources supported Tarnow Mordi, and in the end at least one senior clinician was constructively fired for speaking up. WSLHD took no visible action to correct the situation.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-27/bullying-harassment-claims-at-westmead-sees-icu-training-revoked/10436704
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/westmead-hospital-icu-stripped-of-training-accreditation-over-alleged-bullying-20181026-p50c8j.html
https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=669528700107284&_rdr
Read: The William Tarnow Mordi Scandal