Latrobe Regional Hospital was the subject of at least seven simultaneous Safer Care Victoria investigations in 2023.
A major Victorian hospital faced several preventable death and morbidity cases that the Opposition says were “covered-up”, amid employee accusations that it is “the worst place” to work.
Latrobe Regional Hospital has found itself in the hot seat after it was revealed that the hospital had been the subject of several Safer Care Victoria investigations over recent years.
According to The Herald Sun, the LRH was under simultaneous investigation from Safer Care Victoria for at least seven patient cases in June 2023, some of which were related to allegedly preventable deaths and serious medical mistreatment.
- Patient 1: Failure to provide the necessary attention in time with the delay resulting in loss of life.
- Patient 2: Medical staff failed to accurately diagnose condition and administer treatment. The on-call surgeon never attended to the patient in the emergency department. Misdiagnosis and subsequent lack of proper care led to death.
- Patient 3: Ruptured appendix. Operated on 24 hours after presentation. Additional concerns were raised about post-operative care.
- Patient 4. Failure to diagnose and carry out treatment on time resulted in death.
- Patient 5: Untimely death due to negligence.
- Patient 6: Serious morbidity due to medical negligence
- Patient 7: Medical negligence and poor patient management.
Safer Care Victoria chief executive Michael Roberts flagged some of the concerning cases with Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas’s office and Health Department secretary Euan Wallace, but the concerns were not raised at a later parliamentary inquiry.
The hospital was ordered by Safer Care Victoria to change its ways after four of these cases were later classified as adverse events, however, the final report was never released publicly.
According to The Herald Sun, sources have suggested avoidable deaths and other “grave concerns” around patient care continue.
The whistleblowers pointed to understaffing and a culture of secrecy as core problems.
One clinician labelled the hospital the “worst” facility they had ever worked in.
“It’s running on skeleton staff,” they said. “They spend tens of millions on new theatres and there’s no one to staff them.
“Of all the places I’ve worked, it’s by far the worst place in terms of management and safety. It’s a disaster. Safer Care Victoria is always looking into them.”
Another clinician alleged that unqualified practitioners were anaesthetising patients for emergency C-sections and laparoscopic surgeries.
When asked about the deaths, a Latrobe Regional Health spokesman said, “an extensive review and a site visit by Safer Care Victoria identified the opportunity for quality and safety improvements in our perioperative (surgical) program”.
“We continue to look for ways to enhance and strengthen our services and systems right across our organisation, and welcome the recommendations made, many of which were already under way.”
A Safer Care Victoria spokesman confirmed the organisation had “finalised an investigation into a complaint and continues to work closely with Latrobe Regional Health on areas of improvement identified”.
“This includes reviewing perioperative services and building on its work to improve quality and safety, culture and staffing models,” he said.
Opposition health spokeswoman Georgia Crozier said serious incidents were being concealed and more investigation was needed.
“These shocking revelations demonstrate the extent to which Labor will go to cover up failures within the health system which have resulted in multiple preventable deaths,” she said.
“The Minister for Health must answer why this cover-up took place, how such fundamental failures of care have occurred, and why the minister kept this scandal secret.”