Nurses Angered By Health Chief
Newcastle Herald
Wednesday January 14, 2009
NURSES have been upset by comments made by Hunter New England Health chief executive Dr Nigel Lyons over the treatment of a woman who miscarried in the toilets of Maitland Hospital.
"We have raised our concerns with the chief executive . . . over comments in the media portraying nurses as unsympathetic," NSW Nurses Association acting general secretary Susan Pearce said yesterday. "We've asked for a response by Friday."Ms Pearce said nurses often became the victims of assault and verbal abuse after allegations of hospital mistreatment were reported in the media.Jodie Whiteside, of Medowie, revealed last week that she miscarried her 14-week-old foetus in a public toilet cubicle at Maitland Hospital on December 20.Mrs Whiteside said a triage nurse told her to use the toilet to obtain a urine sample despite the fact she was hemorrhaging.At least three other women have since come forward to complain about their treatment at Maitland Hospital.Lisa Watt, 39, said she miscarried in an emergency department toilet in May and another woman sent a letter of complaint to the hospital after she miscarried on December 6.Jan Boden, of Rutherford, said she waited three hours in emergency without treatment on August 7 before having an emergency caesarean and appendectomy at John Hunter Hospital.Ms Pearce said she had yet to receive complaints from union members since the Maitland Hospital allegations surfaced but in the past nurses were assaulted and verbally abused when similar stories appeared in the media.'We've had nurses assaulted outside the workplace, at rail stations and in car parks," she said. "Some have had their cars defaced, rocks thrown at them and been spat at."Ms Pearce said she sympathised with the women but emergency departments were stressful places to work and the public often did not understand the triage system.A Hunter New England Health spokeswoman said Dr Lyons would respond to the union.
© 2009 Newcastle Herald
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