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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-02 Daily Xml
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Medical Training Survey

The Hon. C. BONAROS (14:56): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Health and Wellbeing a question on workplace bullying and harassment of doctors in our public health system.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: The Medical Board of Australia recently released the findings of its annual Medical Training Survey. The survey found that in 2020, 34 per cent of doctors in training reported they had experienced and/or witnessed bullying, harassment or discrimination, consistent with 33 per cent in 2019. Analysed further, trainees who had experienced and/or witnessed bullying, harassment and discrimination were broken down as follows: 47 per cent of interns, 39 per cent of pre-vocational and unaccredited interns, 36 per cent of specialist non-GP trainees, 23 per cent of IMGs and 21 per cent of specialist GP trainees.

The primary sources of bullying, harassment and discrimination were by consultants and specialists, 51 per cent; nurses or midwives, 36 per cent; and patients and/or families and carers, 34 per cent. Sixty-six per cent of trainees said they did not report the incident they experienced and 78 per cent did not report the incident they witnessed. My questions to the minister are:

1. Have you had an opportunity to review the survey results and, if not, why not?

2. Do you agree there is a serious problem of bullying, harassment and discrimination in the state public health system?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:57): I thank the honourable member for her question. I think it is timely to note that bullying and harassment is a challenge in a number of workplaces, our own and others, and it is a responsibility on all of us to deal with bullying and harassment wherever we see it. In terms of SA Health, this state's occupational—I always get the name wrong but the President might be able to help me with this—health and safety committee of the parliament has undertaken a report into bullying and harassment and also fatigue in SA Health, and that has led to a number of recommendations.

In terms of the ICAC report, the report on Troubling Ambiguity, which had a number of what I would call recommendations in relation to cultural matters such as bullying and harassment, SA Health has been active in following up on those recommendations and dealing with bullying and harassment. In terms of partnerships with the profession, it was my privilege last year—I suspect it was about this time last year—to participate in the AMA's summit on bullying and harassment. I think it is very important, as I know the AMA does recognise, that the medical profession itself takes responsibility to help deliver the cultural change within the profession that is so important.

There is something of an attitude amongst some senior consultants that the hardening processes, if you like, that they experienced as a young professional should be visited on their trainees. That is not acceptable. We believe that all employees need to be supported in their training and respected by their management.

I would also mention that the South Australian medical education advisory council, I think it's called, met with me recently. The main focus of our discussion was the strategic framework they are developing for training to make sure that training is of a high standard, and a key element of that is to make sure that it is respectful. It is a long-term project and, to be frank, I suspect it is a process that will not end. We as a community need to continue to work to improve the culture not only in this parliament but also in the agencies of government that we are responsible for. Certainly, I am keen to work with SA Health to deliver that change.

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