Canberra Health Services says four staff members at Dhulwa have been stood down over breaches

A Canberra Health Services spokeswoman has confirmed six staff members from the unit are being investigated over allegations they had provided patient information to the nurses union and four had been stood down.

The Canberra Times had previously reported two mental health nurses in Dhulwa had been suspended and one had been sacked over the alleged breaches.

However, multiple people familiar with the situation have said more staff had been stood down than what had been publicly reported.

Canberra Health Services was asked to confirm or deny these claims.

"Canberra Health Services is continuing its investigations into this serious matter regarding a breach of patient privacy," the spokeswoman said.

"There have been no further terminations of employment since February 24, 2023, as reported by The Canberra Times. In total, six employees have been referred for investigation, four of whom have been suspended, which is due process under the circumstances."

The spokeswoman said the six investigations and four suspensions related specifically to Dhulwa.

Another senior nurse in a separate part of Canberra Health Services has also been stood down over similar allegations.

The nurses are facing allegations they provided information about 13 patients to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation over a period of years.

The union has argued the disclosures were lawful and allowed under legislation and Canberra Health Services policies. The union has said this is allowed when nurses and midwives have specific concerns about patient safety.

MORE A.C.T. POLITICS NEWS:

Canberra Health Services chief executive Dave Peffer has said these policies exist in certain circumstances, such as for child protection purposes. Mr Peffer has argued the information shared had not met this threshold.

The union has raised significant concerns around the safety of staff at Dhulwa over recent years, which prompted an inquiry into the unit last year.

This inquiry found there were "poor standards of care delivery" and the standard of care at the facility was well below expectations. It found there was a lack of work health and safety processes and that patient and treatment procedures were unclear.

However, the inquiry had said claims of violence at the facility were "inflated" and the report said the inquiry had heard concerns from stakeholders around breaches of privacy and confidentiality.

The alleged privacy breaches are the subject of police and integrity commission investigations.

Health authorities and the government were initially reluctant to provide any information about the alleged breaches.

Mr Peffer sent an email to all staff at Canberra Health Services on March 6 saying patient records had been given to an "industrial partner" but did not indicate who this partner was.

This email was first made public by the opposition and The Canberra Times on March 21.

Minister for Mental Health Emma Davidson publicly named ANMF as the recipients of the information on March 23. She then named Dhulwa as the area where the breaches occurred on March 28 when facing a motion of no-confidence.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.