A WOMAN suffered a heart attack in a Territory hospital because she was not monitored properly after having surgery to remove an abscess.
Records show the woman, referred to as Didi in the Health and Community Services Complaints Commission (HCSCC) annual report, was not properly monitored for 45 minutes after her surgery.
A drop in her blood pressure was not noticed and she had a heart attack.
A HCSCC investigation revealed no explanation of the event was recorded.
The records also do not note an apology and do not indicate it was an avoidable event and appropriate incident reporting did not happen.
The report said conduct of the doctor was referred on for further investigation, which is still underway. Didi’s family has sought legal advice.
This is just one of the 667 inquiries or complaints received in the 2013-14 financial year – a record amount.
The HCSCC was set up to provide an “independent, just, fair and accessible mechanism” for the resolution of complaints between users and providers of health, disability and aged services.
Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner Lisa Coffey said this year saw more “serious” complaints arise.
“The most remarkable statistic is the increase in matters handled as formal complaints, an increase of 35 per cent for direct complaints, and 66 per cent overall,” Ms Coffey said in the report.
“This does not mean we are electing to handle complaints more formally … but it does appear to mean we are being approached with more serious concerns, an apparent trend that will be monitored more closely in the new financial year.”
The report also revealed a huge increase in inquiries from prisoners at Darwin and Alice Springs correctional centres; 146 inquiries were made up from 89 the year prior.
“It appears this increase may reflect resourcing issues in prison medical services as 39 per cent of these inquiries related to access to services, and 40 per cent related to treatment,” the report said.
The most complaints were from Darwin (43 per cent), followed by Palmerston (27 per cent), Alice Springs (17 per cent), remote NT including Nhulunbuy and Tennant Creek (10 per cent), Katherine (8 per cent) and interstate (6 per cent).
EXAMPLES OF THE COMPLAINTS:
● Double bunking
Liz was sent to hospital requiring treatment, however, when she arrived she was told they
were too busy to look after her.
She waited for hours before being put in a shared cubicle.
Liz felt both her privacy and her confidentiality had been breached as the doctor conducted an examination and discussed her personal medical records in the shared cubicle.
The HCSCC made inquiries about why Liz, as well as other patients, had been put in this situation.
The hospital explained that it was overcrowded that day and the only way to manage all patients was to have more than one in each cubicle.
The provider agreed that this caused concerns for patient privacy and confidentiality but said that it “did not happen often”.
● Wrong prescription
Ms Brown lodged a complaint with the HCSCC after she visited the chemist to have a prescription filled.
Mrs Brown had been taking 250mg tablets however the pharmacist dispensed a box of 500mg tablets, with a printed label stating that the tablets were 250mgs stuck to the box.
Fortunately Ms Brown recognised the error prior to taking any of the tablets.
The was referred to the Pharmacy Board for investigation.
●Long wait at ED for child
Claire took her young child to the Emergency Department after she cut herself in a fall at
home.
Claire lodged a complaint with the HCSCC because she had to wait four hours for attention, during which time the wound was not washed or assessed.
When the child was seen, they were sent away again as she was told that a general anaesthetic would be required to stitch the wound and this would not be possible until the next day.
Concerns about lengthy waiting times for young children was raised with the provider for consideration.