The deaths of six patients at a regional hospital have been referred to the coroner following allegations that a former manager regularly changed death records.
A former manager at Launceston General Hospital in Tasmania was accused in an independent investigation in February of failing to report some deaths to the state coroner.
The manager no longer works for the Ministry of Health.
Department acting secretary Dale Webster said an independent panel had identified six deaths and recommended they be referred to the Tasmanian coroner.
The panel will now investigate further cases involving the identified staff member, the ABC reported.
A former manager at Launceston General Hospital (pictured) has been accused of altering patient death details
However, he added that the panel found no evidence of systemic problems within the hospital.
“The chairman of the panel commended staff for the high level of care provided and the quality of documentation observed through the record and case reviews,” Mr Webster said.
The panel’s review followed allegations by LGH registered nurse and midwife Amanda Duncan against the House of Representatives inquiry into ambulance ramping earlier this year.
Ms Duncan told the inquiry she had received 11 reports of misconduct by doctors and nurses relating to patient deaths.
LGH registered nurse and midwife Amanda Duncan (pictured) received 11 reports of doctor and nurse misconduct related to patient deaths
She claimed she had also reviewed more than 55 coronial investigation reports relating to deaths at LGH.
“There are six Tasmanian families who will not be dining with their loved ones tonight. They have not known the truth about the death of their loved one for years,” she said.
‘Maybe they suspected something was wrong, but there was no transparency from the LGH.
“I don’t think the six that we are aware of are the only six, and I think over time we will find that more cases will emerge into the public light.”
Ms Duncan believes there are families who have already contacted the Department of Health ‘to find out 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,” she said.
The Ministry of Health is in the process of contacting the families of the six identified cases.
It advised anyone with concerns to come forward, promising their case would be “treated very seriously and properly investigated.”
Ms Duncan hoped the research would be ’empowering’ for affected families and questioned why their concerns were not initially taken seriously.
“Why is it taking until nurses speak up for truth, justice and accountability to happen,” she said.
‘Why is this not possible when family members express their concerns, why are they not heard in the first place?’