RAH stroke scandal: FIFO specialist brought in by SA Health because replacement doctor for urgent stroke cases is now pregnant

THE inquest into the deaths of two men because SA’s only stroke specialists were both on holidays has already heard startling allegations of rorting, bullying, turf wars, industrial blackmail and a love affair gone sour. Now SA Health has brought in a fly in-fly out specialist to help after rejecting a local doctor for the job.

• Stroke specialists on leave: How The Advertiser broke the story
• Extraordinary evidence of bullying and rorting at RAH stroke inquest
• Inquest hears three-year affair between radiologists ended badly
• Staff thought specialist was on call — but he’d gone fishing
• ‘Bad blood’ between doctors in RAH radiology ‘turf war’

THE Royal Adelaide Hospital stroke deaths scandal has taken a new twist with SA Health bringing in a fly in-fly out specialist from interstate after rejecting a fully accredited local doctor who wanted the job.

Michael John Russell, 60, and Leslie Robert Graham, 87, died from stroke at the RAH in April, 2017, when the hospital’s only two interventional neuro-radiologists qualified to suction brain blood clots, Dr James Taylor and Dr Rebecca Scroop, were both rostered on separate holidays at the same time.

This was despite the flagship hospital being promoted as offering a 24/7 service under the former government’s Transforming Health master plan.

The state’s only other specialist fully accredited to do the procedure, Dr Steve Chryssidis, was called in after lengthy delays including a failed request for Dr Taylor to return from a fishing trip, but was unable to save either man.

The scandal only came to light after an investigation by The Advertiser.

Royal Adelaide Hospital interventional neuro-radiologist Dr James Taylor leaves the coroners court after giving evidence last October. Picture: Mike Burton/AAP

Dr Steve Chryssidis was rejected for the RAH role and has claimed he was “the victim of an insidious hate campaign”. Picture: Mark Brake/AAP

The coroner had been advised of one death, but not of the second — and had not been told there was no qualified specialist on duty at the time of the deaths due to the holiday rostering.

The ongoing coronial inquest has heard startling allegations of rorting overtime, industrial blackmail, a love affair gone sour, a medicos’ turf war and bullying within the RAH radiology department.

The inquest by Coroner Mark Johns has heard that, prior to the deaths, Dr Chryssidis worked part-time at the RAH but his attempts to progress to full-time hours were thwarted as it would have taken away lucrative overtime pay from Dr Taylor and Dr Scroop. Each earn more than $1 million a year.

He was not working at the RAH at the time of the deaths, instead working in private practice and at Flinders Medical Centre.

Dr Chryssidis told the hearing of his time trying to join in the RAH unit full-time: “I felt that I was the victim of an insidious hate campaign. There was an undermining culture of exclusivity and the environment was toxic — it was destructive.”

The hearing also heard there had been plans to put on a third specialist and Dr Lan-Anh Do was interviewed but rejected due to lack of full accreditation, then the plan lapsed.

After the death scandal broke, then-Health Minister Jack Snelling ordered a third person be hired — Dr Chryssidis applied but was overlooked by a panel which included Dr Scroop in favour of Dr Do despite her not being fully accredited for the delicate procedure.

Now Dr Do has fallen pregnant and is about to take maternity leave, again leaving a staffing gap.

Rather than hire Dr Chryssidis, RAH officials decided to look interstate.

SA Health declined to directly address a series of questions from The Advertiser on the issue, including why Dr Chryssidis was not hired.

Stroke victim Mike Russell and his wife Polly.

Dr Jim Buckley, RAH Campus Clinical Head, SA Medical Imaging, released a statement saying remuneration for the specialist is in line with standard rates.

“We have temporarily engaged an interstate locum who will be residing in Adelaide on a short-term basis to provide cover for upcoming, prearranged leave,” it states.

“The locum will join the 24/7 on-call roster to ensure two interventional neuroradiology specialists are available to provide the highly specialised blood clot retrieval service at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

“The locum was engaged from interstate as there is no qualified specialist in South Australia with the capacity to provide full-time cover for the duration of the leave.”

The Advertiser is seeking comment from Dr Chryssidis.

The inquest has given an extraordinary insight into professional relationships within the RAH which may have been a factor in the rostering blunder.

This includes an affair between Dr Taylor and radiologist Dr Suzanne McKeen which included meeting at conferences across Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East for sexual liaisons. Dr Taylor told the inquest the affair started in Melbourne when they had gone to see Phantom of the Opera in August 2007.

It ended bitterly in August 2010 after Dr Taylor’s daughter, who was helping organise a surprise 50th birthday party for him, found pictures on a disk that included Dr McKeen in a bubble bath.

The breakup triggered a staff meeting that included complaints from Dr McKeen that Dr Taylor and Dr Scroop were effectively rorting the system for financial gain.

Dr Taylor made a personal address to the Coroners Court after details of the affair were aired, apologising for the grief it caused his wife, children and other people.

“Now that this has all blown up again ... it’s very embarrassing for my wife, it’s caused a lot of grief, my children are quite upset about it, and I’d just like to take this opportunity to apologise for my relationship with Dr McKeen,” he said after giving evidence in October 2017.

“It’s very hurtful for a number of people in my life, especially my wife, and I am very grateful she’s standing by me.”

Dr McKeen told the inquest she maintained she had a unique friendship with Dr Taylor, and that photos of her in a bikini and in the bath while the pair shared a hotel room did not prove a sexual relationship.

Darrell Trim, QC, for Dr Taylor, asked her if a photo of them naked together proved a sexual relationship.

She replied: “We were just having fun — we’re both doctors, we’re both used to human bodies.”

The inquest will resume on a date to be fixed.