A former University of Newcastle medical academic has won the right to keep working as a doctor, after a court found he should not be dismissed after putting a pillow over a patient’s face.
Doctor A went to the Industrial Relations Commission after being suspended for alleged misconduct.
The doctor graduated from the University of Newcastle in 1980 and went on to become a Conjoint Lecturer in Primary Care at the same university.
The alleged incident happened at a Sydney hospital in May 2013.
Health officials said he “forcefully” pressed a pillow into the face of a 94-year-old patient with delirium.
The Commission heard Doctor A used the pillow inappropriately as a spit shield, which was an affront to the patient’s dignity, but there was no proof the patient’s safety was in jeopardy.
The Commission found the Health District should not dismiss Doctor A because there was no basis to have no confidence in him.