Ten staff members posed as fake patients at a Victorian regional hospital to pretend it was busy during a visit from the Health Minister.
An investigation by the Department of Health confirmed that Colac Area Health had staff registered as patients at the Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) when Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas visited on August 9, 2023.
An investigation into the saga confirmed that some medical staff were sitting in the waiting room, while others were on beds, with one even occupying a trolley in the back hallway.
Another staff member arrived by ambulance and was assessed despite not needing medical treatment.
The investigation found that staff members accepted what was happening under the belief that it was what Colac Area Health “expected of them” and, as a result, they will not be disciplined.
Ten employees posed as fake patients at a regional hospital to pretend that it was busy during the visit of the Minister of Health.
It was found that there was a possibility that patient care had been affected, but no resources were found to have been diverted from genuine demand at that time.
“The investigator was satisfied, on the basis of the information available, that each of those actions were taken to make it appear to the Minister that the UCC was busier than it actually was on the day of the visit,” the Department of Justice said. Health. in a report on the subject.
‘Each of those people was registered as a patient in the UCC admission system before the Minister’s arrival and their registrations were canceled and the patients left the UCC after the Minister left, without any treatment being administered. .
“Staff working in the CCU that day were generally aware, or soon realized, that patients presenting to the CCU did not require medical treatment and generally concentrated on treating patients who did require medical attention”.
Minister Mary-Ane Thomas (second from left) with Colac Area Health clinic staff during her visit
Wise Workplace Solutions and the department agreed that putting the health of potential patients at risk was “incredibly disappointing and totally inappropriate.”
Colac Area Health, which accepted the recommendations, has been asked to convey the seriousness of what happened to its staff and encourage them to speak out about unethical decisions in the workplace.
The incident was first raised by a whistleblower who brought allegations to the Victorian Public Sector Commission.
Ambulance Victoria’s internal investigation into the ambulance’s involvement is underway.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Colac Area Health for comment.
