Systems under scrutiny as witness pays ‘heartfelt condolences’ to Leeanne Crossingham’s family

The ongoing coronial inquest into the 2020 death of a 63-year-old Mid-North Coast aged care resident has examined if systems and procedures were followed before a key witness aired her grief.

Leeanne Crossingham's 2020 death in a Macksville aged care facility is the matter of a coronial inquest in Coffs Harbour.

A key witness has aired her grief with the family of a Macksville woman who died after injuring herself on a home visit and returning to the Riverside Gardens aged care facility in Nambucca Heads.

Registered nurse Dona Baby was giving evidence at the coronial inquest this week into how 63-year-old Leeanne Crossingham died.

Ms Baby, who was providing care to Ms Crossingham in the days preceding her death, gave her “heartfelt condolences” to the family who were present and sat silently during the inquest proceedings at Coffs Harbour.

The inquest heard Ms Crossingham was injured in her home in Macksville with a lifter, and then returned to Riverside Gardens where she was a respite resident on January 28.

She later died on February 4, 2020 at Coffs Harbour Hospital from complications due to a chest trauma.

Riverside Gardens registered nurse Dona Baby leaves Coffs Harbour court after giving witness evidence in the coronial inquest into the death of Leeanne Crossingham.

The four day coronial inquest, from October 21 to October 24, aims to determine the circumstances leading to Ms Crossingham’s death.

On the inquest’s third day, before Deputy State Coroner Honour Magistrate O’Neil in Coffs Harbour, significant airtime was given to aged care processes and systems in place at the facility that year – and whether they were adequately followed.

The inquest heard from Ms Baby that on January 28, 2020, Ms Crossingham complained of a pain in her left breast/chest describing the pain level as a “nine out of ten”.

Ms Baby recorded in her progress notes the pain and some swelling.

During her time on the witness stand, Ms Baby was cross examined on whether or an incident report had been completed after the incident at home, the accuracy of the resident’s Summary Care Plan, the limitations and capacity of the computer software program Icare and the location of paper-based handover notes during handover procedures.

The inquest continues in Coffs Harbour Court.

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Originally published as Systems under scrutiny as witness pays ‘heartfelt condolences’ to Leeanne Crossingham’s family