Doctors allege senior medical officers have been acting outside their scope of practice and credentials.
Queensland Health has launched a Part 9 investigation into the Mackay Health and Hospital Service following allegations that senior medical officers at the regional town’s public hospital had been performing roles for which they were not credentialled.
The investigation comes after an earlier Part 6 clinical review, the results of which have not been – and will not be – made public, according to local media.
Queensland Health director-general Dr David Rosengren said the investigation follows concerns raised by doctors in Mackay around uncertainty of clinical scope and requirements for supervision for non-specialist senior medical staff.
“The investigation will examine the policies and procedures currently in use to ensure they are operating effectively,” Dr Rosengren said.
“If there are shortfalls, it is critical we identify these and implement opportunities to improve so Queensland Health continues to provide world-class healthcare.”
Dr Rosengren said the investigation followed a clinical review Mackay HHS completed under Part 6 of the Hospital and Health Boards Act, examining the workload and scope of clinical practice of a particular unnamed senior medical officer.
“While the clinical review did not identify any specific adverse outcomes, it has identified risk associated with inadequate credentialing specificity around scope of clinical practice and supervision requirements for non-specialist senior medical officers,” he said.
Queensland Health said there was “no risk to the community” arising from the Part 6 review.
“The [Part 9] investigation is the next step to examine processes across the entire HHS to determine if improvements can be made locally and where relevant, across the state,” said Dr Rosengren.
A Part 6 investigation is a clinical review focused on a specific patient’s care. It analyses clinical decisions and actions by health practitioners, and may be initiated after an adverse event.
A Part 9 investigation is a broader probe into the health and hospital service itself, usually instigated by the CEO and conducted by an independent investigator looking at systemic problems including policies, procedures, staff competency and governance practices.
Mackay HHS CEO Susan Gannon said Mackay HHS had taken important steps following the Part 6 clinical review to strengthen practices and processes, including ensuring all senior surgical specialist staff and theatre managers understood the requirements for supervision of trainees, principal house officers and non-specialist senior medical officers.
“Mackay HHS has responded quickly to address concerns raised by staff and this is a demonstration of our development of a culture of safety,” Ms Gannon said.
“We will work collaboratively with investigators to further improve our processes and practices and I will continue to encourage staff to raise their concerns.”
In 2021, Mackay HHS’s maternity unit was the subject of a Part 9 investigation, which found “system level failures” which led to the deaths of at least three children due to “inadequate care” over a 10-year period.
More recently, the hospital cardiology cath lab had to close for more than a month to upgrade 10-year-old equipment, forcing up to 240 patients to travel as far as Townsville and Brisbane for treatment.