By TOM HAYES
Warning: This story deals with the distressing death of children.
LATROBE Regional Health is facing scrutiny following the death of three babies in recent months, with the increasing difficulty to employ qualified or senior staff.
The Herald Sun reported on Monday that an 18-month-old girl with sepsis didn’t receive lifesaving antibiotics on time, and the deaths of two newborns are among the cases that have caused concern at LRH.
It was found that the 18-month-old’s condition was not identified by a junior doctor when presenting to the hospital before 2am on September 9. Once a senior doctor arrived hours later, the child later died while being transferred to a Melbourne hospital.
An internal review by LRH found no fault with the care provided, the Herald Sun reports, however adding that in March 2019, a baby died at LRH with an internal review clearing the staff of any fault, but a coroner’s report identified unexplained head injuries as the cause of death.
An LRH spokesperson provided a comment for the Express regarding the deaths.
“In the past two months, three children who received care at Latrobe Regional Health have tragically passed away. LRH offers its sincere condolences to those affected by these deaths,” the LRH spokesperson said.
“Providing safe care is LRH’s priority, and we review patient deaths or adverse outcomes in close consultation with Safer Care Victoria (SCV).
“As with many regional health services, from time-to-time LRH faces challenges in attracting staff, however we are working hard on recruitment and have been successful in onboarding a range of highly qualified practitioners, locally and from overseas.
“In particular, LRH currently has a full complement of specialist obstetricians and paediatricians.”
LRH also mentioned that the hospital works closely with SCV to ensure their care is safe, but also meets community needs.
In the event of a death, or adverse clinical outcomes, LRH liaises with affected families and SCV to consider the circumstances and determine if any improvements can be made.
LRH ensures it is working closely with SCV in reviewing the three recent deaths, while commencing detailed clinical review processes which draw on the expertise of external healthcare professionals and external agencies.
The investigations are still ongoing. One of the events has been reported to SCV as a sentinel event, while the other two events are not considered adverse of sentinel, however LRH continues to work with SCV and the department to review the issues.
Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier has called for an independent investigation.
“Under Labor, the health crisis across Victoria is only worsening with budget cuts, job losses and planned amalgamations,” Ms Crozier told the Express.
“Labor have failed over the past 10 years to identify workforce shortages and provide the expertise to regional hospitals such as LRH.
“Labor have failed to address the issues and that’s why there needs to be a thorough and independent review.”
Ms Crozier worked as a midwife for several years in the 1990s before working at the Royal Women’s Hospital.
A state government spokesperson affirmed that the deaths were under review.
“Every death is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with the families affected,” the state government spokesperson said.
“SCV has looked at these cases and worked closely with Latrobe Regional Health to ensure the appropriate local reviews were carried out – they will officially undertake a review of the one reported sentinel event, while CCOPMM (Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity) will also begin its own separate official review into this case.
“We always put patient safety first – that’s why we established SCV in 2017, the Health Complaint Commissioner and the Statutory Duty of Candour in 2022.”
