LONDON —
Infected blood inquiry opens: The inquiry will investigate claims of a cover-up at the Department of Health and the deliberate destruction of documents.
Last year SkyNews revealed previously unseen cabinet papers that suggested ministers were aware of the scale of the contamination problem in 1987.
Read Paul Kelso of SkyNews’ full story:
Infected blood inquiry opens – Contaminated blood victims seek answers
NEWCASTLE, New South Wales —
Gynaecologist Richard Ian REID, 76, who left a trail of devastated women patients across two countries and two Australian states exhibited such extreme conduct it was hard to distinguish his most serious failings, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) found today.
Dr Reid lacked honesty, “effectively abandoned” a woman patient with serious complications after pelvic mesh surgery, misrepresented himself as a professor and associate professor, “flagrantly ignored” conditions over his medical practice, failed to gain patient consent before implanting pelvic mesh in women and exhibited “zeal” for a surgical theory practised by only two or three other gynaecologists in the country.
Read more of Joanne McCarthy’s report in Fairfax’s Newcastle Herald:
LONDON —
Former UK Prime Minister John Major is among the politicians who could face questions over their role in transfusions that led to thousands of deaths in the UK.
As for Australia’s contaminated blood scandal, where 3 times more Aussies ended up with contaminated blood that their British counterparts, our politicians will be facing similar questions before long for they too went to great lengths to keep a lid on Australia’s scandal. But truth always surfaces, eventually.
Read more of The Sunday Times UK from Caroline Wheeler:
CANBERRA — Australian Capital Territory
ACT Health still in denial its operations are not secret and can handle everything their way. Who’s kidding who? Can’t pull the “privacy” excuse anymore which in reality is used for smothering their misfeasance.
For a tiny territory that demanded its own government, it still cannot get its health system in order in its short existence. Non-stop scandals, cover-ups, crises, bullying, patient, doctor, nurse suicides…
Pressure is mounting on the ACT Government to include public hearings and increased protections for witnesses in its recently announced review into ACT Health.
Read more of Daniella White’s article in The Canberra Times:
PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA —
Dr Keith WOOLLARD did not have enough experience to perform a complex angioplasty, a tribunal has been told.
The former Australian Medical Association (AMA) president has been found guilty of professional misconduct for making false claims about his training experience so he could be accredited to perform angioplasties.
In 2005, Dr Keith WOOLLARD told the medical advisory committee at Perth’s Mount Hospital he should be accredited because he had reached the training requirements of at least 200 supervised angioplasties, all logged.
Two months after being granted accreditation, he was asked to provide documentation, but the logbook Dr WOOLLARD sent only listed 154 angioplasties.
Dr WOOLLARD claimed he had assisted with angioplasties on more than 100 patients in the 1980s, supervised by Dr Geoffrey Cope, and therefore his experience “greatly exceeded” the requirements.
But at a hearing of the WA State Administrative Tribunal this year, Dr Cope said he had never performed any angioplasties with Dr Woollard’s assistance.
“If Dr Woollard scrubbed up and attended any cases performed by me, he certainly did not participate in them,” Dr Cope, who retired 10 years ago, said.
He claimed Dr WOOLLARD asked about training with him, but was rejected as being “far too fast, far too aggressive and potentially dangerous”.
Between receiving accreditation and filing his logbook, Dr WOOLLARD performed an angioplasty on journalist John Brown.
During the procedure, Mr Brown’s left main coronary artery was occluded. Dr WOOLLARD said he assumed it was due to a dissection of the artery by either the guide wire or the guide catheter.
Despite the intervention of another cardiologist and later a cardiac surgeon, Mr Brown died from complications.
The WA tribunal said Dr WOOLLARD did not have the experience to operate on Mr Brown, had failed to explain the risks associated with the angioplasty to Mr Brown, and had not told him of the option of referral for coronary artery bypass grafting instead.
In his defence, Dr WOOLLARD said the lesion in Mr Brown’s left anterior descending artery was not complex.
However, three expert witnesses said the lesion was complex, being angulated, calcified, ulcerated and larger than 20mm in length, with an irregular contour.
“By reason of the complexity of the lesion, Dr Woollard should have referred Mr Brown to a cardiothoracic surgeon,” the tribunal said.
“At an absolute minimum, Dr Woollard should have given Mr Brown a realistic assessment of risks and benefits, and alternatives.”
In findings handed down this month, the tribunal said that Dr WOOLLARD knew he made false statements when he applied for accreditation.
“In proceeding with Mr Brown’s angioplasty, Dr Woollard demonstrated an unjustified self-confidence that went beyond a clinical error and constituted arrogance,” it added.
Sanctions will be decided at another hearing.
SOURCE: Medical Observer, article by Antony Scholefield.
COFFS HARBOUR, northern NSW —
Heard this a thousand times before. Lie lie lie – that’s what hospitals do, nurses, doctors, administrators, bureaucrats. Tamper with records and giggle doing it.
It’s always “Oh, we’ve changed our routine from years ago”. The HCCC believed the hospital’s lies and took no action. Why? Why? Why? Hasn’t the HCCC learnt? What about the patient?
Multiple reviews, multiple investigations — usual spin hospitals churn out.
Don’t believe a word a hospital says when your loved one dies.
Read more of the ABC story:
Whistleblower, leaked documents expose deadly failures at Coffs Harbour Hospital
PERTH, Western Australia —
This is why people who write to WA Health are ignored. There is no benefit to them by actually helping you. Your correspondence is binned while they party and line each other’s pockets.
Staggering corruption. We heard it was going on. Now it’s been “officially” uncovered.
Read more from the ABC:
Health authorities siphoned hundreds of thousands in cash and gifts, CCC probe finds
CANBERRA —
If you knew what we know about breaches of medical record containment, you would OPT OUT without blinking.
Every transaction will be entered on My Health Record. Don’t believe government that it will have fortress-like security. Records are not secure now.
While this is an initiative for some peculiar reason, next step will be an ID CARD. This is Big Brother collecting more information on you. Hasn’t government got enough already? The nation’s health as a whole in one basket… scary! And your DNA. The government may start in years to come to profile you.
Insurance companies and Big Pharma will see this as a treasure-trove of information they will seek to access for purported research purposes. Governments are notorious for farming out such to the private sector. Plus other sticky-beaks such as:
— Employers to deny you employment.
— Big Pharma to flog more drugs for you to take.
— Insurance companies to refuse to insure you.
Plus subpoenas served by:
— Medical defence for court cases.
— Insurance companies to deny your claims.
And remember our governments privatise anything they see as a cash-cow such as our utilities, roads, hospitals, airports, ports, electric light poles and wires, general post office, land titles office and the rest.
Just think what a goody-bag our health records would be.
Don’t forget the many medical errors made every day. Those errors will be transferred to your MY HEALTH RECORD and may kill you.
Think about it. Make your decision wisely.
CHIANG RAI, THAILAND — Infection control at its best. Everything being done to isolate them. An incredible rescue and heart-warming story for all. Well done Thailand Public Health Ministry.
When will we see this in Australian hospital? Where? Hospitals do not isolate patients with deadly infections such as C.difficile, MRSA, VRE, MSSA…. you name it, they are mixed with other patients unaware the patient next to them recovering from surgery can be exposed to golden staph from the next patient. The number of patients who are discharged and never know they have acquired these deadly infections until they end up back in hospital and wonder how.
CHESTER, ENGLAND —UPDATED
At the Countess of Chester NHS Hospital, a 28-year-old nurse has been arrested on suspicion of murdering eight (8) babies and trying to kill six (6) others at the hospital’s neo-natal unit.
Detectives began investigating Countess of Chester Hospital more than a year ago, after the hospital reported a higher than expected mortality rate on the unit that cares for premature babies.
The probe initially focused on the deaths of eight (8) babies but police said they are now investigating seventeen (17) infant fatalities at the unit between 2015 and 2016.
Every patient’s family’s nightmare. Hospital horror.
READ MORE —
Countess of Chester Hospital: Woman held in baby deaths probe
UK health worker arrested over death of eight babies
Woman arrested on suspicion of murdering 8 babies at Countess of Chester Hospital in UK
