Hospital check-up as boss jets off

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Left in the lurch 2:03

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The families of sick children from regional areas across Queensland have been forced to make their own way to the new Lady Cilento Children’s hospital in South Brisbane

  • TEN
  • 04 Dec 2014
  • News

TEETHING problems at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital go beyond failures to provide adequate food and transport, with parents and doctors ­highlighting errors in patient hygiene and safety at the new facility.

Health authorities yesterday had to address further claims of delays in access to medication, shortages of vital equipment and basic hygiene items after The Courier-Mail raised a raft of concerns with the Children’s Health Board.

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Shortly after the concerns were detailed to the board yesterday afternoon, they announced that a review into the clinical safety of patients at the new hospital would be brought forward.

The independent review – due to report early in the new year – comes only two weeks after the opening of the fanfared $1.5 billion Brisbane facility.

“I would like to place on the record that the board has no knowledge of any serious clinical incident having been recorded or reported since the LCCH opened,” Children’s Health Queensland board chairwoman Susan Johnston said.

Rebecca Hursthouse is concerned with the running of the new Lady Cilento Children's Hospi

Rebecca Hursthouse is concerned with the running of the new Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, South Brisbane, after problems with treatment for her daughter Bella, 12. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“CHQ will appoint an ­independent and interstate pediatrician to review whether any patient, in our first two weeks of operation, did not receive the best possible patient and family-centred care.”

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg refused an interview with The Courier-Mail yesterday, but described the concerns raised by parents in yesterday’s paper as “teething problems”.

He said he had not visited the facility since it opened on November 29, but said he was confident issues were being worked through.

“The thing that comforts me is that there has been not one issue that has been raised about any child not getting high-quality care,” he told ABC Radio.

His comments came as it emerged Children’s Health Queensland chief executive Peter Steer would depart this month to take up a senior health role in London on January 1.

Parents yesterday highlighted hygiene and a lack of essential equipment at the hospital, resulting in long delays for their children.

Patients have been raising concerns about the quality of care at the new Lady Cilento Chi

Patients have been raising concerns about the quality of care at the new Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in South Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Gin Gin mother Rebecca Hursthouse said her daughter Bella, 12, had to wait “many” hours for doctors to find equipment to administer painkillers. Bella was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma on September 19 last year.

“Since Bella was transferred to the new hospital, the reality is things are just not the way they should be,” she said.

“We had to wait many, many hours for them to bring a PCA pump – a pump that allows you to administer pain killers when needed. Bella is very sick and was in a lot of pain.

“It is just that people don’t know where to find things. The hospital just was not ready.”

Dr Steer said staff had reported “a number of minor ­delays in medication”.

“None of these have caused substantive harm,” he said.

Departing CEO of the New Lady Cilento Hospital, Peter Steer, pictured on opening day. He

Departing CEO of the New Lady Cilento Hospital, Peter Steer, pictured on opening day. He is leaving to take over the reins at London’s Great Ormond Street children’s hospital. Picture: Adam Armstrong.

Toowoomba mother Ann Tyler told of how it took 90 minutes to find a feeding pump for her son Craig, 3, who suffers from complex chronic health conditions.

“Things are disorganised,” Ms Tyler said. “It took an hour and a half just to find a feeding pump for Craig. And there are not even wipes to clean his bottom. I would have thought that was a necessity.”

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Shaun Rudd called for the issues to be addressed. “It is vital that these issues are sorted out as soon as possible if they impact on the state’s most chronically ill children,” he said.

Specialists claim the wrong-sized catheter lines – used for intravenous drugs – were being implanted into patients as the proper equipment was not at hand, including oxygen and suction in key areas.

Dr Steer said a full range of lines had been available to staff in clinical areas and every child had safe and timely access to oxygen and suction facilities.

He said more than 7000 Mater Children’s Hospital records had been scanned to date and patient records could be obtained manually “in ­urgent cases”.

Job done, top doc heading to London

THE head of Queensland’s new children’s hospital is about to leave the job to take up a position in London.

Children’s Health Services CEO Peter Steer will start his new job as chief executive of the prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital on January 1 amid controversy in Queensland that the opening of the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital should have been delayed to protect patient safety.

He was appointed to his London post in May. The November 29 opening for the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital was cemented in October.

Dr Steer has overseen the $1.5 billion children’s hospital project since early 2009. He is due to leave before Christmas.

His replacement, Fionnagh Dougan, will take over as CEO on January 15.

Children’s Health Queensland board chair Susan Johnston last night rejected suggestions the decision to move into the new hospital was in any way linked to Dr Steer’s departure.

“The decision to move on November 29 was a decision made by the Children’s Health Queensland board with sure line of sight on the state of play and the readiness and the preparedness,” she said.

“We conducted a safe patient transfer. There is absolutely no way that we adjusted a timetable to suit anyone’s personal interests.

“That’s not the way we went about making the decision.

“It’s completely and utterly erroneous. The planning for the shift to the hospital was done incredibly thoroughly with patient safety as the focus.”

Together Union secretary Alex Scott said members, including doctors, allied health and administration staff, had expressed concern to Children’s Health Queensland before the hospital’s opening that it was not ready.

“It has been made very clear that the Newman Government was committed to opening this hospital on November 29 no matter what,” Mr Scott said.