By Danny Rose
AAP
July 04, 2008
A PARLIAMENTARY inquiry has been told a culture of bullying and intimidation in the Ambulance Service of NSW has pushed many workers to the brink of suicide.
Station officer Phil Roxburgh was one of
more than 150 paramedics and other workers who gave written
submissions to the Legislative Council committee, which is
probing the service's management and operations.
Mr Roxburgh today told the committee he had seen morale
fall, stress levels rise and cases of suicide increase in
his 30 years with the ambulance service.
"And I hear stories from so many people who have come so
close to attempting suicide, or who have gone through some
really horrific experiences," said Mr Roxburgh, who is
based at Moruya on the NSW south coast.
Mr Roxburgh is continuing to push for an investigation into
the treatment endured by one colleague who committed
suicide in 2005.
He said
Christine Hodder
had joined the ambulance service in
1999, and was the first female employee at a rural NSW
station.
She was ostracised by some male colleagues, and Mr Roxburgh
said management then ignored complaints she was
victimised.
Mr Roxburgh said he was also targeted by colleagues for
attempting to support Ms Hodder, and his push for an
investigation has led other workers to contact him with
similar stories.
"What has scared me, with all the people that were phoning
me and sending me emails, is we have a lot of people out
there who are on the edge," he said.
"I refer these people to professional counselling but we
need to the system to be looked at ... it needs to work
better."
Other submissions to the inquiry complain of fatigue among
paramedics workers who may be sent on late night on-call
jobs while still having to front up for their rostered
morning shift.
Paramedics also dealt with rising levels of violence in the
community, according to submissions which also alleged key
management personnel were focussed on undermining each
other.
Liberal health spokesman Jillian Skinner said 593 ambulance
officers had quit the service since 2002, and the "quitting
rate is faster than the recruitment rate".
NSW Director-General of Health Professor Debra Picone
conceded more work needed to be done to combat bullying
within the service.
"The vast majority of people who work in the NSW ambulance
service, from the top management to the paramedic, are
decent and honourable people," Prof Picone said.
"However, I do believe that there are pockets of bullying
and harassment in that organisation and I believe we have
to work diligently to stamp that out."
See original article http://www.news.com.au/story/0,,23969078-421,00.html