WARWICK Hospital will boost its nursing staff numbers and review openness and transparency just three months after the hospital's nursing director walked out, claiming a shortage of nurses was threatening patient safety.

It also will review "doing the right thing".

The hospital has told the Daily News that it will advertise for three new nurses to boost numbers and lift responsibilities.

It also has revealed changes at the hospital following a review that came after the senior administrator quit.

These changes will include a policy of "openness and transparency".

The previous nursing director - Jane Waite - dropped a bombshell in March when she quit, claiming dangerous staff levels, a lack of support and bullying.

She said in a damning letter to the DDHH she had been left with no alternative but to walk.

In her letter (a copy of which was given exclusively to the Daily News) Mrs Waite claimed her requests for "necessary and fully justified" full-time staff members to ensure "safe staffing levels at Warwick Hospital were not formally recognised or activated".

Mrs Waite also referred to: "The constant undermining of my position ... and your willingness to accept this behaviour.

"I am astounded that you appear to believe this kind of behaviour (bullying) is acceptable," Mrs Waite said, adding; "Inadequate staffing continues to put patient safety at risk."

The DDHH responded: "The DDHH is working through the appropriate process to determine the facts". It then announced a hospital review would follow.

DDHH executive director, workforce, Michael Metcalfe told the Daily News exclusively this week that the review had failed to substantiate Mrs Waite's claims of inappropriate behaviour.

However, he said: "Steps are now in place to implement changes identified through this process."

He said a review of staffing levels at the hospital had been conducted by the executive director, nursing and midwifery services.

"While the allegations made by the former DON about inappropriate behaviour were not substantiated, the raising of these matters gave the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service an opportunity to reflect on the organisation's values of caring, doing the right thing, openness to learning and change, being safe, effective and efficient and being open and transparent," he said.

The hospital has announced Anita Bolton as the new director of nursing.

Mr Horan said the decision to boost staff came after the hospital's "regular 12-monthly business planning framework process".

The three new high-level nurses will work in midwifery, the emergency unit and after-hours.

The jobs will be advertised in coming weeks.

Mr Horan said the appointment of extra staff members "was in line with the organisation's vision to be trusted to deliver excellence in rural and regional health care".

He said the DDHH, which oversees the Warwick Hospital, approved the recruitment of four additional doctors for the hospital's emergency unit late last year.