E-Petition

The Petition of residents of the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the House of serious concerns at the Toowoomba Hospital maternity unit. 

Despite the seriousness of these allegations, the Queensland Government has refused to order an independent investigation of these concerns, instead suggesting that women’s complaints were not made in the right “manner”. Families who have experienced trauma should never be blamed for how they raise concerns. Several women who have gone through the process of complaints have been very disappointed at Executive responses. 

While the Minister for Health says there is an investigation underway by the Health Ombudsman, this does not investigate systemic concerns. Nor was this a Ministerial initiated application for an investigation. A Culture Review that is also currently underway at Toowoomba Maternity Unit does not go as far as to investigate Executive nor the Board of DDH. 

A Part 9 investigation is designed to examine systemic issues, not just individual cases. It allows for a broad, independent review of clinical practices, leadership, culture, staffing, and governance within a hospital, to identify patterns of failure and prevent harm from occurring again. 

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to do all within its power to ensure an independent Part 9 investigation into the maternity unit at Toowoomba Hospital, and meet with impacted families.