The deaths of six patients at a regional hospital have been referred to the coroner following allegations that a former director regularly altered death records.
In an independent review in February, a former director of Launceston General Hospital in Tasmania was accused of failing to report some deaths to the state coroner.
The manager no longer works for the Health Department.
The department’s acting secretary, Dale Webster, said an independent panel identified six deaths and recommended referring them to the Tasmanian coroner.
The panel will now examine further cases involving the identified staff member, the ABC reported.
A former director of Launceston General Hospital (pictured) has been accused of altering patient death records.
However, he added that the panel found no evidence of systematic problems within the hospital.
“The chair of the panel has praised staff for the high level of care provided and the quality of documentation seen through file and case reviews,” Mr Webster said.
The panel’s review followed allegations by LGH registered nurse and midwife Amanda Duncan in the House of Assembly inquiry into the ambulance surge earlier this year.
Ms Duncan told the inquiry she had received 11 reports of misconduct by doctors and nurses in relation to patient deaths.
LGH registered nurse and midwife Amanda Duncan (pictured) received 11 reports of misconduct by doctors and nurses in relation to patient deaths.
He said he had also reviewed more than 55 forensic investigation reports relating to deaths at LGH.
“There are six Tasmanian families who will not be dining with their loved ones tonight – they have spent years not knowing the truth about their loved ones’ deaths,” he said.
‘Maybe they had suspicions that something was wrong, but there was no transparency from the LGH.
“I don’t think the six we know of are the only ones, and I think over time we may discover that there are more cases that will come to light.”
Duncan believes there are families who have already contacted the Department of Health “to seek the truth about their loved one’s death.”
“I would find it very difficult to believe that the Department of Health was not aware of these allegations at some point in the past,” he said.
The Department of Health is in the process of contacting the families of the six identified cases.
He advised anyone with concerns to come forward and promised their case will be “treated very seriously and properly investigated”.
Ms Duncan hoped the investigation would be “validating” for the families affected and questioned why their concerns were not initially taken seriously.
“Why is it necessary for nurses to speak up for truth, justice and accountability?” she said.
‘Why can’t that happen at the time when relatives raise their concerns, why aren’t they listened to in the first instance?’