Following serious allegations reported by an article in today’s Saturday Paper, the Greens will be referring the matter of death reporting failures in Northern Tasmania to the Integrity Commission, with a request for them to launch an investigation.
The issue of death reporting failures at the LGH – including information being withheld from the Coroner, and death certificates being falsified – came to light after evidence provided by nurses Tom Millen and Amanda Duncan at a Parliamentary inquiry last year.
An independent review of these matters found that former Executive Director of Medical Services Dr Peter Renshaw had repeatedly acted outside the law, but said the issues were not systemic. There are serious questions about that finding following the allegations made in the Saturday Paper.
The allegations made in this reporting are gravely serious, and must be treated as such. These include that senior staff other than Dr Renshaw have been involved in improper conduct regarding death reporting; that these matters extend beyond the Launceston General Hospital; examples of multiple death certificates being issued for the same case; and concerns that matters raised by staff were never addressed by the Department of Health.
The reporting also highlights the lack of explanation from the Coroner’s Office in the role they have played in these matters, and the apparent lack of investigation conducted by Tasmania Police.
Given the scope of these matters, and the relevance of multiple government agencies, we believe the most appropriate avenue for them to be examined through is the Integrity Commission. There is no other body who has the jurisdiction or powers to conduct a proper investigation.
We note that Integrity Commission referrals are not always made public and understand that announcing this intention is in itself a significant decision. However, we believe taking this step is important so that everyone who has information about these matters – be it families or healthcare staff – is encouraged to come forward.
We will be preparing our referral in the coming days and will publish it upon submission.
Read The Saturday Paper article here.
