RAH stroke specialist cancels leave after The Advertiser reveals second roster clash

A SENIOR Royal Adelaide Hospital stroke specialist has cancelled her leave after uproar following The Advertiser revealing two senior specialists — of only four accredited in the state to suction brain blood clots — were again going on leave at the same time.

The head of medical imaging at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Dr Jim Buckley, leaves the Coroner’s Court last year. Picture: David Mariuz/AAP

• Original story: Two stroke deaths while specialists were on leave
• The inquest: Coroner blasts SA Health over RAH stroke deaths
• This year: Stroke specialists book overlapping holidays again
• Comment: SA Health defaults to secrecy

A SENIOR Royal Adelaide Hospital stroke specialist has cancelled her leave after uproar following The Advertiser revealing two senior specialists — of only four accredited in the state to suction brain blood clots — were again going on leave at the same time.

The last time both interventional neuro-radiologists (INR) Dr Rebecca Scroop and Dr James Taylor went on leave at the same time, the RAH was left without a specialist who could do the procedure.

Michael John Russell, 60, and Leslie Robert Graham, 81, died at the RAH in April last year, when both specialists were on leave and there was no-one on call to perform the procedure, and their deaths are the subject of a coronial inquiry.

Officials only reported one case to the coroner and did not mention there was no INR specialist on duty to do the procedure.

Coroner Mark Johns only found out the details, and of the second death, by reading The Advertiser.

Dr James Taylor, one of two stroke specialists who went on leave at the same time. Picture: Kelly Barnes/The Australian

Coroner Mark Johns only found out about the second death after reading about it in The Advertiser. Picture: AAP / Matt Loxton

The Advertiser this week revealed both doctors would again be away at the same time, from July 1-10.

SA Health had planned to pay a Melbourne doctor $50,000 for a fortnight to be on call in Adelaide while the two staff doctors took leave — but he is unable to take the job after being injured in an accident.

This would have left Dr Lan-Anh Do on call 24/7 for ten days — she was rejected for the job in February last year due to inexperience, the inquest has heard.

Earlier this week Health Minister Stephen Wade told Parliament he was ‘disappointed’ by the move to allow both doctors to be away at the same time, noting it breached rules specifically put in place to prevent such a situation following the two deaths last year.

Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton called for Mr Wade to cancel the leave to ensure public safety.

SA Health chief executive Chris McGowan said Dr Scroop would now stay on call — in a job paying more than $1.1 million a year according to the inquest.

“Dr Rebecca Scroop senior consultant radiologist specialising in INR at RAH has agreed to postpone her approved annual leave originally scheduled for July,” Dr McGowan said.

“This ensures two highly credentialed INR specialists are available for emergency procedures, providing world class stroke care.”

The inquest into the two deaths will not resume until September following legal wrangling, which at least one family says adds to their distress.

The inquest so far has heard allegations of overtime rorts, industrial blackmail, a love affair gone sour, a medicos’ turf war and bullying within the RAH radiology department.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr Lan-Anh Do was appointed to the RAH stroke unit in August 2017, after the events subject to the ongoing coronial inquest, and gained full CCINR  accreditation to perform emergency INR procedures in November 2017.