Media release – Kathrine Morgan-Wicks – Secretary, Department of Health, 7 February 2024

Investigations into Launceston General Hospital allegations underway

The Department of Health acknowledges the serious allegations against a former senior doctor at the Launceston General Hospital regarding reportable deaths, which have been raised by witnesses in evidence to the Select Committee on Transfer of Care Delays.

The Department of Health is currently investigating these allegations to identify the individual patients concerned, and to compile all relevant information across the Department’s systems. This information will then be reviewed by an independent clinical expert to determine if these cases are reportable deaths.

Following review, if any deaths are considered to be reportable deaths, they will be referred pursuant to the Coroner’s Act to all relevant authorities, including Tasmania Police if a potential breach of the law is detected.

At this stage, the Secretary of the Department of Health, Kathrine Morgan-Wicks, has received information from a staff member in relation to one patient, and is continuing to make further inquiries in relation to this case.

A further four anonymous complaints have been received by the Secretary which support the allegations raised by witnesses to the Select Committee, but these do not identify any patient information to review.

“I would like to make this call to the public – please report to us any concerns relating to the death of a patient at the Launceston General Hospital that you believe should have been a reportable death to the Coroner,’’ Ms Morgan-Wicks said.

“I want to assure any family members or staff that wish to report concerns regarding a patient death and have a particular patient file reviewed – these concerns will be treated very seriously and properly investigated.

“I encourage anyone with concerns or information to report it via the Report Inappropriate Behaviour Form, either with your details or anonymously. I assure that this information comes directly to the Office of the Secretary and is confidentially recorded for review.

“In addition to reviewing any patient deaths identified in complaints to the Department, I will appoint an independent clinical expert to review all public hospital death reporting procedures.

“This will ensure that the procedures meet all relevant legal and clinical reporting standards and have appropriate escalation protocols to allow clinicians at any level to request an internal review of a decision relating to a death within a hospital,’’ Ms Morgan-Wicks said.

Information relating to these independent clinical experts will be released once they have been appointed pursuant to the Tasmanian Health Service Act.

The Department of Health is also undertaking a general review of data relating to all deaths at the Launceston General Hospital, and the rates of reporting. This review is underway.

Coroners Act 1995

reportable death means –

(a) a death where –

(i) the body of a deceased person is in Tasmania; or

(ii) the death occurred in Tasmania; or

(iii) the cause of the death occurred in Tasmania; or

(iiia) the death occurred while the person was travelling from or to Tasmania –

being a death –

(iv) that appears to have been unexpected, unnatural or violent or to have resulted directly or indirectly from an accident or injury; or

(v) that occurs during a medical procedure, or after a medical procedure where the death may be causally related to that procedure, and a medical practitioner would not, immediately before the procedure was undertaken, have reasonably expected the death; or

(vi) .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

(vii) the cause of which is unknown; or

(viii) of a child under the age of one year which was sudden and unexpected; or

(ix) of a person who immediately before death was a person held in care or a person held in custody; or

(x) of a person whose identity is unknown; or

(xi) that occurs at, or as a result of an accident or injury that occurs at, the deceased person’s place of work, and does not appear to be due to natural causes; or

(b) the death of a person who ordinarily resided in Tasmania at the time of death that occurred at a place outside Tasmania where the cause of death is not certified by a person who, under a law in force in the place, is a medical practitioner; or

(c) the death of a person that occurred whilst that person was escaping or attempting to escape from prison, a detention centre, a secure mental health unit, police custody or the custody of a person who had custody under an order of a court for the purposes of taking that person to or from a court; or

(d) the death of a person that occurred whilst a police officer, correctional officer, mental health officer or a prescribed person within the meaning of section 31 of the Criminal Justice (Mental Impairment) Act 1999 was attempting to detain that person;