Queensland's largest hospital has received an $8 million investment for mental health emergency care after an ABC report exposed concerns from a clinical nurse whistleblower.
In response to the ABC's story, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has committed $8 million to redesign and refurbish PEC and to hire additional medical and nursing staff.Patients with severe mental illness are having to sleep on the floor or couches inside Queensland's largest hospital due to chronic bed shortages, with some left waiting days.
He said the addition of a nurse navigator and more rapid response staff were positions that had already been in place for several months. While acknowledging the state government "wants to listen and work with health staff", he said he was not convinced "that management's listening".