There are some very good and dedicated people in Ambulance NSW, however they are being hamstrung by a broken and dysfunctional system. When I first joined Ambulance NSW, I remember being told early by a colleague that this was a job where I "would meet some of the nicest people and also some of the biggest a***oles I could ever meet". Naively, I initially thought he was talking about "the public"; however I was soon to find that he was actually referring to our work colleagues. Like most staff who leave Ambulance NSW (before retirement, death or permanent injury), the job itself is great (in most respects) but poor management, lack of support and the toxic culture is why we leave. Many testimonies at the inquiries have told a similar story of individuals dedicated to their job who were betrayed and destroyed by an organisation they trusted; where they were treated like an enemy for trying to do the right thing. There is also no reward for excellence...the poor performer is often earning more and is promoted to their own level of incompetence and then protected by the organisation against scrutiny and having to meet the same standards as others. This situation is self perpetuating and the only ones promoted are clones of those before.
It has been quite evident by the testimony at the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into bullying, harassment and discrimination in NSW Emergency Services, that Ambulance NSW has learnt little and understands less about the scope and impact on staff. Repeatedly, throughout the inquiry the committee was astounded by the lack of knowledge and insight of Ambulance NSW representatives (and particularly their CEO Dominic Morgan) had of the severity and importance of this destructive culture. To his credit Mr Morgan did make a public apology and some promises to finally make the necessary changes to "fix" the organisation. Regardless, this is all too little, too late and experience tells us the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. Cynically, the timing of this apology and promises seemed to be coincide with the release of a scathing report report from the Parliamentary Committee outlining the terrible state of Ambulance NSW and the inaction over many years. One could also presume that the apology and promises where strategically seen as the best compromise to avoid a further external investigation i.e. a Royal Commission.
These are issues that not only affect on-road clinical staff but also non-clinical staff in emergency call-centres. Having worked in both areas, the culture is widespread and entrenched. The behaviour is both overt and covert and is especially damaging to Ambulance personnel who see themselves as carers and have part of their identity tied to the trusted profession they serve. The hardest transition is the realisation that the respect, identity, expertise, education and skills, mean little outside the organisation. The fear of this transition can certainly push staff "over the edge" and intensify mental health issues. This vulnerability is also used to manipulate and coerce staff.
If physically injured at work many face isolation and are required to undertake demeaning tasks, designed to destroy resilience and spirit. If psychologically injured, the organisation actively attempts to make the situation one of personal failure and throws its organisational resources into ensuring it has no liability rather than in support. Of course, and due to various levels of nepotism and elitism, the journey for injured workers (physically or psychologically) can vary considerably as to the level of support provided and energy spent in rehabilitation.
Sadly even as you are read this:
Definition:
Bullying = repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or a group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety’.
- repeated behaviour refers to the persistent nature of the behaviour and can involve a range of behaviours over time’
- unreasonable behaviour is ‘behaviour that a reasonable person, having considered the circumstances, would see as victimising, humiliating, intimidating or threatening’.
It has been quite evident by the testimony at the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into bullying, harassment and discrimination in NSW Emergency Services, that Ambulance NSW has learnt little and understands less about the scope and impact on staff. Repeatedly, throughout the inquiry the committee was astounded by the lack of knowledge and insight of Ambulance NSW representatives (and particularly their CEO Dominic Morgan) had of the severity and importance of this destructive culture. To his credit Mr Morgan did make a public apology and some promises to finally make the necessary changes to "fix" the organisation. Regardless, this is all too little, too late and experience tells us the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. Cynically, the timing of this apology and promises seemed to be coincide with the release of a scathing report report from the Parliamentary Committee outlining the terrible state of Ambulance NSW and the inaction over many years. One could also presume that the apology and promises where strategically seen as the best compromise to avoid a further external investigation i.e. a Royal Commission.
These are issues that not only affect on-road clinical staff but also non-clinical staff in emergency call-centres. Having worked in both areas, the culture is widespread and entrenched. The behaviour is both overt and covert and is especially damaging to Ambulance personnel who see themselves as carers and have part of their identity tied to the trusted profession they serve. The hardest transition is the realisation that the respect, identity, expertise, education and skills, mean little outside the organisation. The fear of this transition can certainly push staff "over the edge" and intensify mental health issues. This vulnerability is also used to manipulate and coerce staff.
If physically injured at work many face isolation and are required to undertake demeaning tasks, designed to destroy resilience and spirit. If psychologically injured, the organisation actively attempts to make the situation one of personal failure and throws its organisational resources into ensuring it has no liability rather than in support. Of course, and due to various levels of nepotism and elitism, the journey for injured workers (physically or psychologically) can vary considerably as to the level of support provided and energy spent in rehabilitation.
Sadly even as you are read this:
- A victim of sexual harassment is being persecuted by the organisation, while the perpetrator (a serial offending senior manager) is being protected by the same organisation.
- The widow of a Paramedic who took his own life in uniform this year is still waiting for honest answers and still fighting the organisation trying to protect its reputation over its people.
- Staff are being silenced so the truth is not exposed and senior management are able to keep their positions
- A plan has been revealed to strip rural paramedics (and their communities) of their advanced skills and careers to “save money”.
- Paramedics are being told to torture overdose patients by using 20 needles in muscles all over their bodies to administer simple life saving drugs.
Definition:
Bullying = repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or a group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety’.
- repeated behaviour refers to the persistent nature of the behaviour and can involve a range of behaviours over time’
- unreasonable behaviour is ‘behaviour that a reasonable person, having considered the circumstances, would see as victimising, humiliating, intimidating or threatening’.
Change in culture must necessarily include a purging of the those guilty of perpetrating the behaviours.
The tragic story of Paramedic Tony Jenkins
This is my Husband Tony Jenkins. A dedicated paramedic of 28 years. During his shift on the 9th April 2018 Tony took his own life and never made it home to me . As a family we have a lot of unanswered questions about the final hours of Tony's life ,which were spend in the care of NSW Ambulance.
We ask you to please share - change comes with support
We ask you to please share - change comes with support
Click on the links below to read some of the media stories
that raise more questions than provide answers.
that raise more questions than provide answers.
The 2008 Parliamentary Inquiry into Ambulance NSW
The latest inquiry is not the first (and probably not the last) to find the same issues with NSW Ambulance management and culture. Read below excerpts from the 2008 inquiry report that bare a striking and disturbing resemblance to the latest inquiry report.
"Bullying and harassment. The incidence and mismanagement of bullying and harassment was a major impetus for this Inquiry. The Committee was distressed by the evidence received regarding the level of bullying and harassment that has been allowed to persist within the Ambulance Service, which may have resulted in depression, anxiety, self-harm and even suicide amongst ambulance officers. Major changes must occur as a matter of urgency to address these serious matters. People are more likely to behave inappropriately toward each other if they are under stress. Improving ambulance officers’ working conditions is critical to reducing the level of bullying and harassment within the Service. Management at all levels within the Service needs to take responsibility for these problems. ... Significant concerns were raised regarding the Professional Standards and Conduct Unit (PSCU), which ambulance officers perceive to be biased and unaccountable. The Committee has therefore recommended that an independent process be established to enable Ambulance Service staff to appeal decisions by the PSCU. "
"Those ambulance officers who made submissions painted a bleak picture of their workplaces during the Inquiry. They described dysfunctional environments characterised by low staff morale, unresolved conflict and bullying and harassment. While many inquiry participants acknowledged the inherently stressful nature of their occupation, they suggested that management inadequacies were largely responsible for creating their difficult working environments. Serious concerns about the culture and management of the Service raised during this Inquiry have been identified by several reviews over the past decade. These problems have not been adequately addressed by the current Executive Management of the Ambulance Service. Decisive action is required to ensure that the recommendations of this and other reports are not ignored, and that ambulance officers in NSW are able to work in the healthy and safe workplace to which they are entitled."
The latest inquiry is not the first (and probably not the last) to find the same issues with NSW Ambulance management and culture. Read below excerpts from the 2008 inquiry report that bare a striking and disturbing resemblance to the latest inquiry report.
"Bullying and harassment. The incidence and mismanagement of bullying and harassment was a major impetus for this Inquiry. The Committee was distressed by the evidence received regarding the level of bullying and harassment that has been allowed to persist within the Ambulance Service, which may have resulted in depression, anxiety, self-harm and even suicide amongst ambulance officers. Major changes must occur as a matter of urgency to address these serious matters. People are more likely to behave inappropriately toward each other if they are under stress. Improving ambulance officers’ working conditions is critical to reducing the level of bullying and harassment within the Service. Management at all levels within the Service needs to take responsibility for these problems. ... Significant concerns were raised regarding the Professional Standards and Conduct Unit (PSCU), which ambulance officers perceive to be biased and unaccountable. The Committee has therefore recommended that an independent process be established to enable Ambulance Service staff to appeal decisions by the PSCU. "
"Those ambulance officers who made submissions painted a bleak picture of their workplaces during the Inquiry. They described dysfunctional environments characterised by low staff morale, unresolved conflict and bullying and harassment. While many inquiry participants acknowledged the inherently stressful nature of their occupation, they suggested that management inadequacies were largely responsible for creating their difficult working environments. Serious concerns about the culture and management of the Service raised during this Inquiry have been identified by several reviews over the past decade. These problems have not been adequately addressed by the current Executive Management of the Ambulance Service. Decisive action is required to ensure that the recommendations of this and other reports are not ignored, and that ambulance officers in NSW are able to work in the healthy and safe workplace to which they are entitled."
Tony Jenkins was not the first and will not be the last - nothing has been learnt!
Case study: Christine Hodder Mrs Christine Hodder was an Ambulance Officer employed at Cowra Station, beginning her employment there in 1999 as the first female officer to be employed at the station. Christine, the mother of a young daughter, took her own life on 16 April 2005 ‘after a long-standing unresolved period of harassment and bullying by other Cowra Ambulance Officers with whom she worked’. The treatment suffered by Christine included personal taunts and insults, ostracism, sexual discrimination, degrading treatment, and being constantly discredited in front of patients. Despite lodging two official complaints about workplace bullying and harassment in 2001 and 2005, the victimisation continued, causing a great deal of distress to Christine and her family. In her submission to the Inquiry, Christine’s mother-in-law described the effect of the ongoing mistreatment: Christine initially laughed off the harassment from her fellow officers, but it was relentless and when it continued over the years, it became very hard to bear. She often said “What is wrong with me? Why do they hate me so much?” There were so many incidents perpetrated against Christine, it is hard to remember which happened and when. Following Christine’s first complaint in 2001, the Service initiated a grievance process. According to Christine’s mother-in-law, the parties involved were not told of the outcome of that process. In February 2005, shortly before she made her second complaint, a memorandum was sent to Christine by the sector manager advising her that ‘[a]ll staff are reminded of their obligation to ensure the workplace is free from all forms of harassment, bullying and intimidation’. After Christine’s death, the Service conducted an inquiry into her complaints about the treatment she received at Cowra station. While the inquiry report recommended that no female officer be posted to Cowra Ambulance Station for six months, no disciplinary action was taken against any of the officers mentioned in Christine’s complaints. An external dispute resolution firm was also engaged by the Service to examine the issues at Cowra station. The firm made a number of recommendations, some of which were acted on and others which were not. The firm acknowledged that ‘Cowra was a mess and a very complex and difficult system of relationships’.
The inquiry report and its recommendations were also reviewed by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which declined to further investigate the matter. In addition, the local Coroner reviewed the report, and chose not to hold an inquest. The inability of the Ambulance Service to satisfactorily resolve her issues, combined with the ongoing victimisation, was a source of much anguish for Christine. Her supporters feel that her suicide was the result of ‘[t]he constant harassment, bullying and intimidation by the staff, the callous indifference, inaction and abandonment by the service, the lies, isolation, financial pressures and rumours …’
* Submission 108, Ms Carolynn Hodder; Mr John McDonald, Director, ProActive ReSolutions, Published in camera evidence, 22 July 2008; Submission 49, Mr Phil Roxbourgh
Case study: Christine Hodder Mrs Christine Hodder was an Ambulance Officer employed at Cowra Station, beginning her employment there in 1999 as the first female officer to be employed at the station. Christine, the mother of a young daughter, took her own life on 16 April 2005 ‘after a long-standing unresolved period of harassment and bullying by other Cowra Ambulance Officers with whom she worked’. The treatment suffered by Christine included personal taunts and insults, ostracism, sexual discrimination, degrading treatment, and being constantly discredited in front of patients. Despite lodging two official complaints about workplace bullying and harassment in 2001 and 2005, the victimisation continued, causing a great deal of distress to Christine and her family. In her submission to the Inquiry, Christine’s mother-in-law described the effect of the ongoing mistreatment: Christine initially laughed off the harassment from her fellow officers, but it was relentless and when it continued over the years, it became very hard to bear. She often said “What is wrong with me? Why do they hate me so much?” There were so many incidents perpetrated against Christine, it is hard to remember which happened and when. Following Christine’s first complaint in 2001, the Service initiated a grievance process. According to Christine’s mother-in-law, the parties involved were not told of the outcome of that process. In February 2005, shortly before she made her second complaint, a memorandum was sent to Christine by the sector manager advising her that ‘[a]ll staff are reminded of their obligation to ensure the workplace is free from all forms of harassment, bullying and intimidation’. After Christine’s death, the Service conducted an inquiry into her complaints about the treatment she received at Cowra station. While the inquiry report recommended that no female officer be posted to Cowra Ambulance Station for six months, no disciplinary action was taken against any of the officers mentioned in Christine’s complaints. An external dispute resolution firm was also engaged by the Service to examine the issues at Cowra station. The firm made a number of recommendations, some of which were acted on and others which were not. The firm acknowledged that ‘Cowra was a mess and a very complex and difficult system of relationships’.
The inquiry report and its recommendations were also reviewed by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which declined to further investigate the matter. In addition, the local Coroner reviewed the report, and chose not to hold an inquest. The inability of the Ambulance Service to satisfactorily resolve her issues, combined with the ongoing victimisation, was a source of much anguish for Christine. Her supporters feel that her suicide was the result of ‘[t]he constant harassment, bullying and intimidation by the staff, the callous indifference, inaction and abandonment by the service, the lies, isolation, financial pressures and rumours …’
* Submission 108, Ms Carolynn Hodder; Mr John McDonald, Director, ProActive ReSolutions, Published in camera evidence, 22 July 2008; Submission 49, Mr Phil Roxbourgh
"Years of torture" and NSW Ambulance was more concerned about reputation - a case from 2011 after the second inquiry at which promises and assurances were made...but nothing changed.
A paramedic has claimed her dream career was totally destroyed by a bullying campaign that started at Dubbo ambulance station. Lorraine Gould of Wellington is suing the NSW Ambulance Service for damages over “years of torment” at the hands of fellow officers. Mrs Gould asserts the trouble began in Dubbo when she was a probationary officer. The Workers’ Compensation Commission has been told bullying settled down for a while but later intensified when Mrs Gould transferred to another station. Described as totally shattered, Mrs Gould said she was almost driven to suicide. She believes the ambulance service would be content if she resigned or killed herself. Her lawyers say there is a worrying culture of widespread bullying within the ambulance service.
In her statement Mrs Gould said a training officer often referred to her as a f..king slut and a blood-sucking parasite. The bullying got worse when Mrs Gould challenged what she says was rorting of overtime. “I went into the staff toilet and faeces had been smeared all over the seat,’’ Mrs Gould said in her statement. “As I was the only female who used the toilet I believed this was done to upset me.” Mrs Gould received a victory on Thursday afternoon when the ambulance service withdrew its denial of liability. The service agreed to pay compensation going back to June 2, 2009 when Mrs Gould last worked.
But the legal proceedings are far from over. “It’s taken two years to get this far,’’ her solicitor said.
“Now the case will go back to the Workers’ Compensation Commission but it could be up to a year before we are given a date. “We will be suing at common law for damages for breach of care because the ambulance service allowed its officers to bully Mrs Gould.”
Ms Everett described the attitude and actions of the ambulance service as extraordinary.
“The service was very aggressive and refused to pay one cent,” she said. “But things changed at the hearing in Orange on Thursday when 100 friends, family and former patients crowded into the venue to offer Mrs Gould their support. “The ambulance service didn’t want the people in the room and the whole day was spent in legal argument about that. “We were prepared to go to the Supreme Court to have the public present and ensure transparency. “Faced with being exposed and shamed in front of so many people the ambulance admitted liability, which was a huge surprise. Suddenly the legal argument about who could be present in the room disappeared.”
Ms Everett said Mrs Gould stood up to bullies because she didn’t believe some of the practices in the ambulance service were good for patient care. “Intimidation and harassment worsened after Mrs Gould wrote a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into bullying within the ambulance service prompted by the suicide of Cowra ambulance officer Christine Hodder.
“When fellow workers found out about the submission, keys were thrown at Mrs Gould’s face, she was locked out of the ambulance station and there were stages when absolutely no one would talk to her.” Ms Everett said Mrs Gould was very popular in the Wellington community and highly regarded by the Aboriginal community who called her Little Sister. “She received numerous awards and achievements and at one stage was named woman of the year.
“Allegations of improper behaviour were made against Mrs Gould by certain people within the ambulance service. “She was disciplined but with independent witnesses we proved every single complaint was false. The ambulance service has taken no action against those who fabricated the complaints.”
A paramedic has claimed her dream career was totally destroyed by a bullying campaign that started at Dubbo ambulance station. Lorraine Gould of Wellington is suing the NSW Ambulance Service for damages over “years of torment” at the hands of fellow officers. Mrs Gould asserts the trouble began in Dubbo when she was a probationary officer. The Workers’ Compensation Commission has been told bullying settled down for a while but later intensified when Mrs Gould transferred to another station. Described as totally shattered, Mrs Gould said she was almost driven to suicide. She believes the ambulance service would be content if she resigned or killed herself. Her lawyers say there is a worrying culture of widespread bullying within the ambulance service.
In her statement Mrs Gould said a training officer often referred to her as a f..king slut and a blood-sucking parasite. The bullying got worse when Mrs Gould challenged what she says was rorting of overtime. “I went into the staff toilet and faeces had been smeared all over the seat,’’ Mrs Gould said in her statement. “As I was the only female who used the toilet I believed this was done to upset me.” Mrs Gould received a victory on Thursday afternoon when the ambulance service withdrew its denial of liability. The service agreed to pay compensation going back to June 2, 2009 when Mrs Gould last worked.
But the legal proceedings are far from over. “It’s taken two years to get this far,’’ her solicitor said.
“Now the case will go back to the Workers’ Compensation Commission but it could be up to a year before we are given a date. “We will be suing at common law for damages for breach of care because the ambulance service allowed its officers to bully Mrs Gould.”
Ms Everett described the attitude and actions of the ambulance service as extraordinary.
“The service was very aggressive and refused to pay one cent,” she said. “But things changed at the hearing in Orange on Thursday when 100 friends, family and former patients crowded into the venue to offer Mrs Gould their support. “The ambulance service didn’t want the people in the room and the whole day was spent in legal argument about that. “We were prepared to go to the Supreme Court to have the public present and ensure transparency. “Faced with being exposed and shamed in front of so many people the ambulance admitted liability, which was a huge surprise. Suddenly the legal argument about who could be present in the room disappeared.”
Ms Everett said Mrs Gould stood up to bullies because she didn’t believe some of the practices in the ambulance service were good for patient care. “Intimidation and harassment worsened after Mrs Gould wrote a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into bullying within the ambulance service prompted by the suicide of Cowra ambulance officer Christine Hodder.
“When fellow workers found out about the submission, keys were thrown at Mrs Gould’s face, she was locked out of the ambulance station and there were stages when absolutely no one would talk to her.” Ms Everett said Mrs Gould was very popular in the Wellington community and highly regarded by the Aboriginal community who called her Little Sister. “She received numerous awards and achievements and at one stage was named woman of the year.
“Allegations of improper behaviour were made against Mrs Gould by certain people within the ambulance service. “She was disciplined but with independent witnesses we proved every single complaint was false. The ambulance service has taken no action against those who fabricated the complaints.”
PTSD sufferers slam bullying at NSW Ambulance control centre
CINDY Modderman spent 12 years as a police officer and nearly eight as a paramedic, but it was an 18-month stint at the Northern Control Centre at Charlestown that she said ended her career. Mrs Modderman said her time as a call taker and dispatcher at the control centre, which she only intended to do until she recovered from a shoulder injury sustained as a paramedic, was the most traumatic for her, not because of the work, but because of bullying.
The Northern Control Centre (NCC) takes emergency calls from an area covering the Hawkesbury in the south to the Queensland border in the north. Mrs Modderman said joining the NCC as a former paramedic meant she could relate to both the callers and the paramedics on the road. Not one to keep her opinions to herself, she was vocal about practices that concerned her, and as a result, she said she became a target of bullying. “I was ganged up on because I was seen as the trouble maker,” she said. Mr Modderman said she received little support and a complaint made through NSW Ambulance’s grievance policy lead to counter claims against her. Eventually the tension erupted and Mrs Modderman said a phone book was thrown across the room at her, hitting her in the head. The bullying escalated.
“I started keeping a diary (on advice from a superior), then my locker got broken into and the diary got stolen.” She said eventually she was offered a position back on the road in the ambulance, but news of the offer lead to more trouble. “It was pretty much a confrontation with one of them after she was making taunts at me about my disabled daughter,” Mrs Modderman said. “They were having a discussion about me getting that job. One of them piped up and said ‘it’s probably the fact of the retarded child’.”
The mother of three then had a breakdown.
She has hit out at her treatment at the NCC, where she says people who speak up are hounded until they can not take any more. She also slammed a lack of support from superiors.
“They said that I didn’t adhere to their grievance policy because I refused to have mediation with these women,” Mrs Modderman said. “I never once refused to have mediation, I just refused to have five (colleagues) at once. “I would have happily gone one on one with every one of them. “It was so ridiculous.” She said when she raised the issue of bullying, management did not address the underlying problem. “When I asked for something to be done about it and the result was that I got put onto a different roster,” she said. “They did not deal with the issue.”
She said she was speaking out in the hope of helping future workers avoid the kind of mental health issues she has faced. “It’s just ruining people’s lives in there, particularly when it’s already such a high pressure environment,” she said.
Her concerns have been echoed by at least three others who have worked at the NCC, who have spoken to the Herald about bullying and intimidation, where call takers are “howled down” if they need to take a break from the sometimes relentless and often traumatic emergency calls. “You can walk away, but you’re mocked for it,” Sarah* said.
“They’ll make comments, they’ll howl you down on the way out of the room.” Sarah said she had also become a target for bullying at the NCC. “The call takers in there, they are bullied to an extreme that is inhumane,” she said. “We get mocked and degraded for even asking for a few seconds off the phone when we’ve had enough.” Sarah also criticised a NSW Ambulance Straight Talk policy, which requires staff to raise any issue with their colleague concerned before seeking help. “That policy is there strictly to stop people from coming forward because it’s so intimidating,” she said.
Sarah said the work itself was distressing, breaking down as she relayed a story about hearing a victim of domestic violence being beaten repeatedly before the phone went dead.
She said dealing with such a high stress environment was made worse by intimidating and aggressive behaviour of some staff. Isolation was often used as a way to get to people, she said.
“(A colleague) told me people are being told that I’m dangerous, I’m not to be trusted and they need to basically watch out for me and change their behaviour towards me,” she said.
CINDY Modderman spent 12 years as a police officer and nearly eight as a paramedic, but it was an 18-month stint at the Northern Control Centre at Charlestown that she said ended her career. Mrs Modderman said her time as a call taker and dispatcher at the control centre, which she only intended to do until she recovered from a shoulder injury sustained as a paramedic, was the most traumatic for her, not because of the work, but because of bullying.
The Northern Control Centre (NCC) takes emergency calls from an area covering the Hawkesbury in the south to the Queensland border in the north. Mrs Modderman said joining the NCC as a former paramedic meant she could relate to both the callers and the paramedics on the road. Not one to keep her opinions to herself, she was vocal about practices that concerned her, and as a result, she said she became a target of bullying. “I was ganged up on because I was seen as the trouble maker,” she said. Mr Modderman said she received little support and a complaint made through NSW Ambulance’s grievance policy lead to counter claims against her. Eventually the tension erupted and Mrs Modderman said a phone book was thrown across the room at her, hitting her in the head. The bullying escalated.
“I started keeping a diary (on advice from a superior), then my locker got broken into and the diary got stolen.” She said eventually she was offered a position back on the road in the ambulance, but news of the offer lead to more trouble. “It was pretty much a confrontation with one of them after she was making taunts at me about my disabled daughter,” Mrs Modderman said. “They were having a discussion about me getting that job. One of them piped up and said ‘it’s probably the fact of the retarded child’.”
The mother of three then had a breakdown.
She has hit out at her treatment at the NCC, where she says people who speak up are hounded until they can not take any more. She also slammed a lack of support from superiors.
“They said that I didn’t adhere to their grievance policy because I refused to have mediation with these women,” Mrs Modderman said. “I never once refused to have mediation, I just refused to have five (colleagues) at once. “I would have happily gone one on one with every one of them. “It was so ridiculous.” She said when she raised the issue of bullying, management did not address the underlying problem. “When I asked for something to be done about it and the result was that I got put onto a different roster,” she said. “They did not deal with the issue.”
She said she was speaking out in the hope of helping future workers avoid the kind of mental health issues she has faced. “It’s just ruining people’s lives in there, particularly when it’s already such a high pressure environment,” she said.
Her concerns have been echoed by at least three others who have worked at the NCC, who have spoken to the Herald about bullying and intimidation, where call takers are “howled down” if they need to take a break from the sometimes relentless and often traumatic emergency calls. “You can walk away, but you’re mocked for it,” Sarah* said.
“They’ll make comments, they’ll howl you down on the way out of the room.” Sarah said she had also become a target for bullying at the NCC. “The call takers in there, they are bullied to an extreme that is inhumane,” she said. “We get mocked and degraded for even asking for a few seconds off the phone when we’ve had enough.” Sarah also criticised a NSW Ambulance Straight Talk policy, which requires staff to raise any issue with their colleague concerned before seeking help. “That policy is there strictly to stop people from coming forward because it’s so intimidating,” she said.
Sarah said the work itself was distressing, breaking down as she relayed a story about hearing a victim of domestic violence being beaten repeatedly before the phone went dead.
She said dealing with such a high stress environment was made worse by intimidating and aggressive behaviour of some staff. Isolation was often used as a way to get to people, she said.
“(A colleague) told me people are being told that I’m dangerous, I’m not to be trusted and they need to basically watch out for me and change their behaviour towards me,” she said.