Frontline nurses at Gladstone and Rockhampton hospitals have raised alarming concerns about patient care, alleging “dangerous and unethical” practices driven by a hospital bed shortage crisis.
Nearly 100 nurses, surveyed by the Nurses’ Professional Association of Queensland (NPAQ), claim patient data is being manipulated and mental health patients are being sedated while waiting days for ward beds, prompting demands for an independent inquiry.
The nurses allege that patients are being reclassified or moved to short-stay units to mask breaches in emergency department (ED) performance targets, a practice they say is designed to protect hospital funding.
NPAQ president Kara Thomas described the situation as a “deliberate concealment” of the bed block crisis, warning that it compromises patient safety and staff wellbeing.
“Staff are being pressured to manage optics rather than outcomes,” Ms Thomas said. “Patients are deteriorating in hallways and chairs, and nurses are told to reclassify them to avoid KPI breaches. It’s happening every shift, and it’s dangerous and unethical.”
The survey revealed disturbing trends, including mental health patients waiting up to seven days for admission, often sedated in non-designated spaces, and frequent use of chemical restraints due to patient aggression.
Nurses also reported treating patients in waiting areas or hallways due to ED overcrowding, with many saying they are routinely forced to exceed funded bed numbers in resuscitation zones.
One nurse, with over 40 years of experience, described the situation as the worst they had ever seen, saying, “We’re constantly over capacity, with nowhere safe to put patients.
Staff are burnt out, and morale is at rock bottom.” Another added, “Every shift feels like a moral injury, knowing I can’t provide the care I was trained for because the system is so broken.”
The NPAQ has called for an independent audit of performance reporting and data integrity across ED and short-stay admissions, as well as public disclosure of metrics on sedation use, mental health wait times, and resuscitation ratios.
They have written to Premier David Crisafulli, Health Minister Tim Nicholls, and Queensland Health Director-General David Rosengren, urging immediate action and protections for staff raising safety concerns.
“If the government doesn’t act, someone will die, and they can’t say they weren’t warned,” Ms Thomas said, warning that the reported behaviours could constitute misconduct under the Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls attributed the crisis to the former Labor government, claiming improvements under the current administration. “Ramping numbers in Rockhampton are down to 31.6 per cent from a high of 56 per cent in May 2023, and Gladstone is trending down to 17.2 per cent,” he said.
Mr Nicholls added that Queensland Health encourages staff feedback and has legislated for clinician representation on Hospital and Health Service boards.
Queensland Health Director-General David Rosengren is reportedly set to address the concerns urgently with the NPAQ. However, nurses remain adamant that systemic issues must be tackled to prevent further harm.
“We’re being set up to fail,” one nurse said, “and it feels like leadership is watching from the shore while we drown.”
The allegations have intensified scrutiny on Queensland’s health system, with the NPAQ insisting that only an independent investigation can restore trust and ensure patient safety.
