An LGH nurse has alleged that a manager at the Launceston General Hospital altered patient records several times to protect doctors and executives from criticism or to cover up failures.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Amanda Duncan told the House of Assembly Select Committee Inquiry into Transfer of Care Delays that former LGH manager Dr Peter Renshaw regularly altered patients' death records in several wards, as well as the emergency department, the operating rooms and the intensive care unit.
She recounted an incident of a patient who died while being ramped in the emergency department.
"Multiple nurses and doctors involved in the unsuccessful resuscitation have stated they feel the patient's death could have likely been avoided if the patient was seen in a timely manner, and if resuscitation had occurred on a hospital bed," Ms Duncan said.
"Other nurses and I believe [it] was a case of doctors protecting doctors, given the conduct of the anaesthetist prior to the death."
She said the staff involved expected that a coronial investigation into the death would happen, but no inquest was ever conducted.
"Multiple staff involved expected that the coroner would likely make a scathing finding against the LGH regarding the person's death."
She recounted how the anaesthetist slapped the hand of a nurse who had been reaching for a button to declare an emergency as the patient's condition deteriorated.
After the patient's death, Ms Duncan said the cause of death documented on the medical certificate by Dr Renshaw "defied basic common sense".
"Staff stated to me that the way in which Dr Renshaw made this determination was, in their view, unethical."
Ms Duncan said no review of the anaesthetist's conduct was ever taken, and the family of the deceased were never given a full explanation of the events leading to the death.
She noted that Dr Renshaw was responsible for acting on the incident report that was filed.
Ms Duncan said she confronted the anaesthetist afterwards, saying she believed the death had been preventable.
"The response from the anaesthetist was 'Peter Renshaw and I believe that the patient would have died that day at home anyway. We gave the patient a kinder death'".
She said Dr Renshaw's falsifications of medical records of dead patients happened regularly.
Ms Duncan said nurses told her that the only time they saw Dr Renshaw on the ward was "when he came to change a patient's cause of death".
She told the inquiry that former junior doctors reported that Dr Renshaw had attempted to coerce them into falsifying cause of death in the emergency department on medical certificates.
"When the doctors refused, Dr Renshaw informed them that he writes the letters of recommendation used by junior doctors who want to apply for traineeships across the nation."
She said junior doctors regularly review their notes on a patient's death for learning purposes.
"They inadvertently discovered the cause of death, which they had appropriately determined and documented on a medical certificate at the time of death, had been amended by Dr Renshaw without their knowledge."
Dr Renshaw retired from his position at the hospital after 37 years following his appearance before the Commission of Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.
In the final report by the commissioners, he was chastised for misleading the inquiry through fabrications made in evidence and misleading the Health Department secretary and the hospital executive for not conveying instances of child sexual abuse allegations at the LGH when brought to his attention.
Ms Duncan said after reviewing records, she discovered two deaths at the LGH that were never reported to the coroner's office, in breach of state legislation and Tasmanian Health Service policy.
Health Minister Guy Barnett said Ms Duncan's allegations were concerning.
"I will be asking my Health Department to follow up and investigate, and to report back to me as soon as possible," Mr Barnett said.
