Review into Women’s and Children’s Hospital cochlear implant bungle widens, more potential victims

A review of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital cochlear implant scandal has revealed more people have possibly been caught up in the bungle, dating back to the early 1990s.

An in-depth review into the Women’s and Children’s cochlear implant scandal has revealed 55 more recipients may have been affected dating back to the early 1990s.

The original independent review into the issue, published in August, found that a total of 208 children had received care through the WCH service since 2006.

At least as many as 30 of those children had their implants wrongly programmed, potentially causing developmental delays.

Women’s and Children’s Hospital interim chief executive Rebecca Graham said on Monday that SA Health had identified a further 55 adults involved in the program – some of them dating as far back as 1991 – and efforts were being made to contact them for assessment.

The revelations emerged when SA Health bureaucrats appeared at parliament’s Budget and Finance Committee on Monday.

“99 (adults are being contacted) … I anticipate there is about 20 (adults) who have been contacted so far,” Ms Graham said.

“So, there are 208 children and 99 adults that are on the list through the cochlear program that we are currently in the process of, either providing, or offering a clinical assessment.”

In a statement on Monday afternoon, Ms Graham said the 99 adults she referred to in parliament had been identified as part of the program as far back as 1991.

“These 99 adults include 44 from the originally identified 208 program participants dating back to 2006,” she said.

“Next Sense are providing this independent clinical review, and 85 individuals have already been assessed.”

SA Health did not provide any further update on how many of the assessed individuals had issues with their programming.

Ms Graham also said that 10 of the 59 original recommendations from a review into the issue had already been implemented.

Budget and Finance Committee chair, Liberal MLC Heidi Girolamo, said it was disappointing that the revelations of additional patients being contacted had not been disclosed sooner.

More people have been identified as potential victims of the issues. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

“With a health failure as significant as this, it shouldn’t take a Parliamentary Committee to reveal crucial information to the public about the expansion of the review into cochlear implants to consider adults,” she said.

It was previously announced that families of the children involved in the scandal would be eligible for payments of up to $50,000.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said the bungle was a “shocking failure”.

“This is one of the biggest failures that we’ve seen in health in South Australia’s history – I mean, how can you characterise it as anything but that?” she said.

“The fact that we had well over 300 South Australians, who have been impacted by something that has such a profound and long-lasting impact.”

Health Minister Chris Picton said the government had been “very clear” that they would go back as far as needed to offer reviews to participants in the program.

“All participants in the program are being offered clinical reviews through external provider NextSense,” he said.

“We want to leave no stone unturned and provide complete assurance over the previous decades.

“Of course when the issue goes back so far many of these children are now adults.”

The WCH has already committed more than $2m over four years for additional staffing for the service and the government will fund further costs as the recommendations are implemented.

SA Health said the findings will be shared with the families and summary report to the public at the conclusion of the process.