Chemo bungle at SA hospitals blamed on ‘clinical failures’

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A series of significant clinical governance failures at Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) haematology unit led to 10 cancer patients receiving incorrect chemotherapy doses, an independent panel has found.

Over a six-month period in 2014 and 2015, patients at the RAH and the Flinders Medical Centre were given one dose of the chemotherapy drug Cytarabine a day, when they should have been given two.

When the error was revealed in August last year, the State Government commissioned an independent panel to review the bungle.

Health Minister Jack Snelling told Parliament the panel found there was “a failure to follow routine clinical processes and procedures”.

“In addition, the panel found that certain clinical staff did not comply with SA Health incident management and open disclosure with patients,” Mr Snelling said.

Following the review, eight medical clinicians have been referred to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

“I am advised that AHPRA is currently assessing this referral and the clinicians’ conduct for investigation and SA Health will make all relevant material available to that investigation,” Mr Snelling said.

He told Parliament he had met with one of the affected patients, Andrew Knox.

“He expressed justifiable concern about a lack of support from our health services following the dosage error,” Mr Snelling said.

“I can advise the House that each of the affected patients has now been offered a care coordinator.”

There have been calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the incident, but Mr Snelling said while he supported that in principle, he had asked for MPs to wait until AHPRA had finished its investigation.