Action by the NSWNMA branch at Newcastle’s Calvary Mater Hospital has forced the government to intervene to fix dangerous maintenance issues – and prompted a parliamentary inquiry.

Water leaks, mould and maggots dropping through the ceiling forced Calvary Mater Hospital in Newcastle to close wards, repeatedly move patients and cancel surgery. 

Nurses had to complete at least seven ward movements between December 24 and January 20. 

A cancer ward was closed when mould was found in the air-conditioning system. Later, patients had to be moved from the haematology ward after maggots were discovered there. 

In February, mould was again detected in several wards, including the ICU. 

And a former electrical contractor at the hospital went on TV to reveal potentially fatal electrical wiring and a build-up of rat droppings in the ceiling. 

Calvary Mater is one of the state’s busiest cancer hospitals, with 215 beds and more than 1,300 staff. 

It is a public hospital operated by Calvary Health Care, under a service agreement with Hunter New England Local Health District.  

Building maintenance and repairs are the responsibility of the Novacare consortium under a public-private partnership (PPP) with the state government, which leases the campus from Calvary. 

Frustrated by long delays in remediation work, the branch passed a resolution calling for transparent communication about remediation plans.  

Branch officials said inadequate building maintenance and repairs had created an unsafe work environment that also posed grave risks to immunocompromised patients.  

Members voted to hold a lunchtime rally to publicise their demand for urgent improvements. 

Media coverage 

The rally got widespread media coverage, including local TV, a front-page Newcastle Herald article, online coverage in The Newcastle Weekly, and more than 10 radio mentions.  

Five days after nurses rallied outside the hospital, chanting “Ryan Park, where are you?”, the health minister announced the government was intervening in the protracted maintenance scandal. 

Mr Park said the government would ensure that non-compliant cladding [which contributed to some water leaks in parts of the hospital] is replaced without further delay. 

The government is now working directly with a building contractor rather than waiting any longer for Novacare to act. 

Novacare is a consortium of four companies – Honeywell, Westpac Bank, Medirest and Abigroup – to provide facilities management services.  

Local Labor MP Sonia Hornery said NSW Health had issued a number of “notices of breach” to Novacare but the company was “not willing to do the necessary works, so the government has intervened”. 

On 28 February, Mr Park announced site preparation for the cladding work had begun. 

Parliamentary inquiry  

Meanwhile, Opposition and Greens MPs moved to establish a parliamentary inquiry into management, maintenance and operational issues at Calvary Mater Newcastle. 

Terms of reference include the effectiveness of the PPP model, including whether it has contributed to delays, disputes or failures in maintenance, asset management or service delivery.  

Committee Chair, Greens MP Dr Amanda Cohn, said critical safety and maintenance issues were reported by staff “through the proper channels” as early as 2017.  

“The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate systemic issues in this hospital, not to pore through isolated incidents,” she said.  

“Where issues have occurred, it is never because cleaners and other staff are not hard working or diligent; it is always at the higher level of infrastructure management, which is where the interest is in this matter.”