‘Wasn’t listened to’: NSW government to overhaul patient care reviews after death of 2yo Joe Massa
The death of a boy who waited more than two hours for a hospital bed has prompted a ”momentous” overhaul in one state.
NSW
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A boy’s death at a NSW hospital has prompted the state government to overhaul patient care reviews in cases where patients believe they’re not being treated correctly.
Joe Massa, 2, was taken to Northern Beaches Hospital last September after he vomited overnight.
However, he waited more than two hours for a bed and was wrongly triaged despite a high heart rate and severe loss of fluid, according to the ABC.
The hospital refused the requests of his parents, Elouise and Danny, that their son be given intravenous fluid, according to the broadcaster.
Joe was transferred to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick after he suffered a cardiac arrest.
He then died as a result of brain damage.
The hospital’s operator, Healthscope, accepted there was an “underappreciation of the severity of Joe’s illness and a delay in recognising deterioration” in a statement sent to NewsWire.
A Northern Beaches Hospital spokesperson confirmed on Thursday a newborn had also died at the hospital during childbirth on Saturday.
“Out of respect for patient and family confidentiality, we will not be discussing an individual patient’s condition or treatment. All patient incidents are investigated in line with NSW Health Policy.”
While the hospital did not release details of the incident, The Daily Telegraph reported a ruptured placenta is believed to have contributed to the newborn’s death.
Northern Beaches Hospital’s chief operating officer Peter Thomas was questioned about the incident in NSW budget estimates on Thursday.
Mr Thomas said while an early investigation had not uncovered any misconduct, the mother had undergone an emergency C-section.
“There was an emergency caesarean section for the child who was transferred to Northern Beaches Hospital,” he said.
“The preliminary risk assessment has been done and hasn’t highlighted any key deficiencies as far as I’m aware.”
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park expressed his “deepest condolences” to the child’s parents and family.
“Healthscope have advised me that they are reviewing the circumstances of this case. NSW Health has asked the Chief Obstetrician to review the circumstances as well.”
Mr Park and NSW Premier Chris Minns met with Joe Massa’s parents on Wednesday afternoon, with the Premier committing to an overhaul of reviews of patient care for those concerned about their treatment in NSW hospitals.
Ms Massa called it a “big win for Joe and every child in NSW”.
“We’ve given one of Joe’s favourite shoes to Premier Chris Minns today to have on his table so that we can continue discussions and we can make sure that the promises made today will be followed through,” Ms Massa said on Sunrise.
She said she “wasn’t listened to” when her son was in hospital, but this commitment by the government was “momentous”.
“What we’re so pleased about is that Joe’s Rule is coming into effect, so that means that we are going to solidify the reach protocol that was put into place over 10 years ago and make it really tangible, put it into the back of every person’s mind in NSW that they have rights,
empowered, and they know how to escalate a situation if they ever feel unsafe in hospital,” Ms Massa said on Today.
“We are so thrilled with that outcome.”
Joe’s Rule will expand on the REACH (Recognise, Engage, Act, Call, Help) program, which was implemented following the 2013 death of Kyran Day.
Ms Massa said there would be a number patients could call to escalate their concerns and more awareness on how to speak up to hospital staff.
She said it would be “a way for (parents) to know how to raise awareness and to advocate for their child in the healthcare system” while speaking on Today on Thursday morning.
“It will be a really easily digestible way for every single parent in NSW to advocate for their child,” Ms Massa said.
Health Minister Ryan Park said it was a “powerful and incredibly valuable discussion”.
“The meeting covered a range of issues including how we can best learn from their experience and what changes and improvements need to be made,” Mr Park said.
“Some of the suggestions and ideas the family have put forward we intend on progressing immediately.
“A number of these issues are complex and will require careful consideration in order for Elouise and Danny’s vision to be realised and Joe’s memory to be properly honoured.
“I, like the Massas, want meaningful and substantive change to be implemented as quickly as possible, but I also want to get this right.”
Mr Park later he didn’t support public privatisation hospital models when asked if he supported bringing Northern Beaches Hospital “back into public hands” during an estimates hearing on Thursday.
“It’s not a model that we support. It’s not a model that we are ever going to do,” Mr Park said.
“We won’t ever be going down the path of a Northern Beaches hospital model of healthcare whilst I’m the Minister and whilst the Premier’s the Premier, that’s been made clear publicly, it’s been made clear to the family.
“It is a very complex contract that Healthscope have with the government, and the previous government entered into that contract with Healthscope.
“To unpick that can’t be done overnight but we are looking at that provision of care and that model of healthcare.”
He said it was made clear to Joe’s family that the government understood what they were advocating for.
“But from our perspective, this is a very complex contract that goes over many years, that we would be essentially unpicking and unpacking so that can’t be done overnight,” he said.
“That does not mean that I don’t understand the concerns expressed by the family and by others including the local member in that area.
“I have given them assurances that this government won’t be going down that model of healthcare.”
A Healthscope spokeswoman said the hospital “offers its deepest condolences to the Massa family for the loss of their son, Joe”.
“The doctors and nurses in our emergency department are exceptionally dedicated and devoted to providing high-quality care. They are devastated at Joe’s death and committed to implementing all recommendations to prevent an incident like this from happening again,” the spokeswoman said.
“The hospital accepts the findings of the Serious Adverse Event Review (SAER), including that there was an underappreciation of the severity of Joe’s illness and a delay in recognising deterioration.”
The spokeswoman said the hospital was implementing findings of the SAER in full, which included improving triaging processes and escalation-of-care processes and reviewing systems to improve flagging of abnormal observations.
“The hospital is working in close co-operation with Department of Health and providing any information they need,” the spokeswoman said.
“We will co-operate in full with any further review or investigations into this tragic incident.”
It’s understood Mr Park has written to the Attorney-General regarding a coronial inquest into Joe’s death.
Originally published as ‘Wasn’t listened to’: NSW government to overhaul patient care reviews after death of 2yo Joe Massa
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