‘FROM TODAY’: Gold Coast Health board member Colette McCool. Source: News Limited
GOLD Coast Health knew for more than five years that thousands were potentially at risk because X-rays hadn’t been properly examined – but only made it public yesterday.
Hospital bosses finally detailed the “long-running failure’’ after the backlog of unchecked X-rays topped 48,000 and the “magnitude” of the problem was realised.
They said they were aware of only two patients with “adverse outcomes’’ – but would not provide further details.
But sources within the organisation said it would be impossible to know if lives had been lost until investigators had trawled through all of the outstanding X-rays, 22,000 of which have been deemed a priority for review.
“Patients could have died already that we don’t know about – that’s the scary thing,” said a source.
BACKLOG: Gold Coast University Hospital, caught up in the X-ray scandal. Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS Source: News Corp Australia
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has ordered an independent investigation of the issue, which was uncovered in a report presented to the Gold Coast Health board last week.
The report was commissioned by the board out of “growing concern” that despite extra funding allocated to the medical imagery department, the backlog had not been reduced.
Films have been reviewed by doctors but not specialist radiologists who are supposed to double check them for anything that might have been missed.
Doctors say they have been fighting to have the problem addressed but no action had been taken by the executive until now.
“We’ve been raising the issue for some time because they never funded enough radiologists,” a doctor said.
“They can only do so much per person. The radiologists want to be able to report but they just don’t have enough staff to do everything.
“Neck X-rays can be really hard to read so there could be a neck fracture that’s been missed, or if they haven’t read a chest X-ray properly.”
But board member Colette McCool, who oversees the patient safety committee, said they wanted to make clear all non-reviewed cases were considered low risk and all current X-rays would be properly reviewed.
“I want everybody to be assured that as from today all X-rays … will receive a specialist radiology report,” Ms McCool said.
Chief executive Ron Calvert would not detail why the situation was allowed to go on for so long but yesterday allocated an extra $1.4 million to fixing it.
‘MISTAKES HAPPEN’: Gold Coast Health chief executive Ron Calvert. Picture: Brendan Radke. Source: News Corp Australia
“Our efforts to remedy the situation have stumbled,” Mr Calvert said. “We’re going to work with the experts to get to the bottom of when and how situations arose.
“The issues of detail we can let come out in the inquiry. We make mistakes. It happens.
“Our job is to make sure when we make those mistakes we’re transparent about it, learn from it and improve.”
Maurice Blackburn’s Queensland head of Medical Negligence, Sarah Atkinson, said they were dealing with Gold Coast cases where patients had been put at risk because of failed checks.
“This includes where results have been lost between health facilities or treating doctors, through to a lack of recall systems … where patients or their relevant specialists are not informed of results,” Ms Atkinson said.
Mr Springborg said he had received advice the problem on the Coast was isolated.
“But the inquiry will canvas current procedures statewide and ensure effective failsafes apply,” he said.
FRUSTRATED PATIENTS TAKE X-RAYS ELSEWHERE
Patients say they’ve been forced to have X-rays checked outside Gold Coast hospitals because they do not believe they have been properly reviewed.
Dozens of Gold Coasters spoke out about their stories yesterday.
Broadbeach couple Laura Ginders and Jonathan Hawkins said they could not believe the treatment Mr Hawkins received when he visited an emergency department last year with a sporting injury.
‘UNBELIEVABLE’: Jonathan Hawkins with the CT scans of his right ankle. Picture: Mike Batterham Source: News Corp Australia
The 25-year-old said he was told doctors could not see anything.
T he couple refused to leave and he was eventually put in a cast.
But the cast was removed two weeks later and he was again sent on his way. The next day, his GP told him he had completely torn two ligaments and a piece of bone chipped off.
Health bosses say they will contact patients if the investigation finds any unreported cases have delayed diagnosis.
Patients with any concerns or questions should call 1800 224 447.
Originally published as X-ray scandal: ‘People may have died’