Campbell Newman, health cuts, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Doctors and nurses have been warned to stop criticising the state government and blaming them for budget cuts in front of patients at one of the state's biggest hospitals. Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital management are being told there have been complaints about staff criticising Premier Campbell Newman, as well as the state government in general, in front of other staff and patients. "There have also been instances where complainants, discussing concerns with staff, have been advised that there is nothing that they (the staff) are able to do with regard to staffing, access to care and other issues, 'so go to the Health Minister and complain to him'," an internal email written to managers said. It is evident that these comments are having an impact on the way our patients and the general public see our hospital and its culture. Executive Directors and Directors of Service were told to remind their staff the "inappropriateness" of discussing political opinions and it was emphasised it was not just nurses who were making the comments. Staff were told to stop telling patients "to go to the minister" with their complaints. "Not only does this generate a 'don't care' attitude, it also generates many complaints about the hospital through the minister's office," the email said. Instead, staff are being told to direct patients to RBWH's Consumer Feedback Management Process. Interim Executive Director Professor Keshwar Baboolal said the email was not sent to all staff at the hospital. "It was sent to a small number of management staff as an internal email to remind them of the need to raise awareness of our patient complaints management processes and the need for staff to manage complaints appropriately," he said. As a service committed to high quality care, the needs of the patient must be at the forefront when any concerns are raised with staff members.