specialty focus
specialty focus
‘ Number of failures ’
The WA Government ’ s comments about the staff on shift during the alleged rape have been contradicted following a former PCH worker and a new report . Picture : Paul Kane / Getty Images .
Whistleblower contradicts WA government ’ s comments on alleged PCH rape
By Arshmah Jamal
A
former Perth Children ’ s Hospital ( PCH ) healthcare worker has come forward to dispute the WA government ’ s claims regarding the alleged PCH rape .
At the beginning of October , the ABC published an essay written by Florence ( not her real name ), in which she described a fellow male patient towering over her bed before allegedly raping her in January of last year when she was 13 .
The day the allegations were made public , Western Australian Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson spoke to the
16 | nursingreview . com . au media . During the press conference she said that staff working on the ward that night had hidden themselves in the nurse ’ s station out of fear of the alleged male perpetrator .
“ There are a number of failures in that night – staff on the floor , but also their support ,” Ms Sanderson said .
“ It is inexplicable why security wasn ’ t called when they are available to staff 24 / 7 .”
“ Their supervisor also should have attended that incident and supported the staff .”
However , ABC Investigations revealed in mid-October that a Clinical Incident Review ( CIR ) stated security was called – a claim backed up by a whistleblower who was on shift at the time of Florence ’ s alleged rape .
She claimed that two staff members in ward 5A , where Florence was a patient , had called security a few hours before the alleged rape because of safety concerns about the male patient .
The ABC obtained a page from the CIR , which was commissioned by WA ’ s Child and Adolescent Health Service , that confirmed this .
“ On this occasion , security was attempting to build rapport with the patient and did not allude directly to the reason for the presence ,” the CIR stated .
“ They did not want [ the boy ] to think that the nursing staff has called them because they felt threatened , and thus avoided telling him the reason for their attendance .”
Security personnel had assessed the male patient and concluded he was not