As a collective of senior nurses, we write to Rachel Stephen-Smith and other MLAs in response to the recent announcement of the ACT Government’s intention to compulsorily acquire Calvary Public Hospital, with Canberra Health Services (CHS) assuming governance.

The way in which this has been done reflects poorly on the highest levels of leadership within the territory. To allow the majority of Calvary’s 1800 staff to find out about this via social media was absolutely disgraceful. Clearly this had been in covert planning for quite some time. The level of complicity in this deception speaks to a somewhat disturbing ethical code and leaves us with many questions related to your [Rachel Stephen-Smith] party’s ideology.

The arrogance of making and releasing YouTube videos and transition websites by CHS prior to this decision even going to the legislative assembly makes an absolute mockery of democratic process and was so disrespectful to the staff of Calvary Public Hospital. The subsequent misinformation and mixed messages that have ensued following the announcement, fed by the inability to present staff with a clear and transparent plan for what this all means, is incredibly unfair.

Culture has supposedly been high on the public hospital agenda since the 2019 culture review, and in one surprise announcement, all the work that has been done in this space since that report was issued has been undermined. It has certainly convinced us that the culture of CHS – described as toxic, even by its own employees – is a direct reflection of the values and behaviours that stems all the way to the top, and that the culture review was nothing but a box-ticking exercise. If you are familiar with the Speak Up for Safety Program, one of the programs rolled out in public health in response to the Culture Review, then you should recognise this letter for what it is, an attempt to call a Safety Code on what is currently happening in our public health system and the process by which it has been allowed to happen.

As members of the Canberra community, it concerns us hugely that we have now set a precedent for due process to be bypassed, for consultation to be bypassed, in order to facilitate the government to do as it pleases. It concerns us that the appointment of a whole team of transitional staff at CHS (many of whom are nurses) has occurred with no consideration for the principles related to fair and transparent recruitment processes as outlined in the nursing and midwifery EBA.

As leaders, managers and educators working for many years at Calvary Public Hospital, many of us have extensively studied what good leadership is, how change management should occur, and how safe, respectful teams and organisational cultures are created. We have worked incredibly hard to build these things into the departments we lead. Concepts fundamental to safety culture and good leadership – accountability, integrity, transparency, trust and communication, just to name a few – have all seemingly been bypassed by your Government and CHS in recent weeks.

Calvary has a long-standing record of providing excellent care to the community. The recent media focused on the religious debate has attempted to undermine this; however, as employees of this organisation, many of whom are not Catholic, we would like to advocate that our staff work incredibly hard to provide compassionate care to all patients who present to the service, and make appropriate referrals to other services when and where required.

Catholic or not, the values of Calvary as an organisation do actually mean something to the leadership teams and staff employed here. This should be of concern to any employer, as values and the capacity to lead by them are what embeds authenticity. CHS have shown us neither kindness nor respect by their recent actions. This leaves many of us here at Calvary with the question: how do we trust you? All of this sets up the system for failure from the outset. A system that cannot withstand much more given what it has been through in recent years.  

– Concerned Senior Nurses, Calvary Public Hospital