‘No marked changes’: LGH director doesn’t know of any hospital changes since days of James Geoffrey Griffin

A key director of Launceston General Hospital says he knows of “no marked changes” at the hospital since the offending of paediatric nurse and paedophile James Geoffrey Griffin.

A LAUNCESTON General Hospital boss has revealed under oath he knows of no “marked changes” to the hospital’s systems since it was discovered a paedophile nurse spent 18 years working on its children’s ward.

Peter Renshaw, who has worked as the hospital’s executive director of medical services since 1989, also said on Friday that he “really can’t answer” whether the facility is currently even safe.

Dr Renshaw also admitted, after lengthy examination before the child sexual abuse commission of inquiry, that he provided false information to the Department of Health secretary in November 2019 about paedophile nurse James Geoffrey Griffin.

But he denied he had lied or had misled secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks.

The document in question, which Dr Renshaw was involved in drafting, informed Ms Morgan-Wicks with dot points outlining Griffin’s offending and the current state of the Tasmania Police investigation – but it also stated there was no criminal activity connected to, or alleged to have occurred at the LGH.

Dr Renshaw agreed he included that statement despite the fact he was aware in July 2019 that Tasmania Police was investigating an alleged “sexual relationship” that Griffin had with a child under 12 who was a former LGH patient.

He agreed he was also aware that Tasmania Police was investigating child exploitation material that Griffin had allegedly produced on the children’s 4K ward.

Dr Renshaw thirdly agreed that by October 29 that year, he’d had a “corridor conversation” with a police officer, and was aware of a “rumour” of the “Pearn disclosure”.

The Pearn disclosure refers hospital social worker Kylee Pearn, who told the hospital as early as 2011 that Griffin had sexually abused her as a child.

But under questioning from counsel assisting the commission, Elizabeth Bennett SC, Dr Renshaw denied he deliberately lied to or misled the secretary.

“I acknowledge that it should have been worded better than that,” he said.

He said the relationship between Griffin’s offending and the hospital “wasn’t clear”.

“It was basically a recollection of what we were advised by Tasmania Police at the time,” he said.

“I believe I was doing (my job) to the best of my ability.”

Dr Renshaw said he had “no reason not to be” satisfied with the standard of his conduct.

“Everyone makes mistakes and none of us is perfect,” he said.

“I don’t regret that briefing.”

Health Portrait Doctor Peter Renshaw Director of Medical Services at the Launceston General Hospital

The director said he wasn’t aware of any changes to LGH’s systems and processes since Griffin’s offending, and couldn’t confirm whether the hospital was safe.

“I’m not certain that there have been any marked changes,” he said.

Ms Bennett then asked, “how can you be sure that it is safe, in light of that observation?”

“As I’m not aware of any formal action items and what they would be intended to achieve, I really can’t answer that,” Dr Renshaw replied.

Ms Morgan-Wicks also gave evidence on Friday, telling the commission she did believe the briefing note she’d received in November 2019 – about Griffin’s offending being “external” to the hospital – was misleading.

“I’m not hesitating about saying the word ‘misleading’. I’m absolutely horrified,” she said.

“I feel it (was) designed to reassure me that there was ‘nothing to see here” in terms of the LGH.”

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LGH’s Peter Renshaw takes back his words

A KEY Launceston General Hospital director has recanted his words and apologised to the family of the late Zoe Duncan – a day after proclaiming publicly he didn’t believe she’d been raped by one the hospital’s doctors in 2001.

Peter Renshaw, the executive director of medical services, said on Thursday before the child sexual abuse commission of inquiry it was “unlikely” Zoe had been raped by Dr Tim*, stating “I don’t believe that was the case”.

His public comments were made in front of Zoe’s family, who were present in the public gallery at the time.

At the time, Dr Renshaw was admonished by Elizabeth Bennett SC, counsel assisting the commission, for displaying an “astonishing lack of insight in the pain that you are causing members of the deceased’s family here today”.

On Friday, Ms Bennett asked if Dr Renshaw wished to provide “any apology he might think appropriate” after giving evidence on how he’d managed a range of sexual abuse allegations during his 33-year tenure in his role.

Dr Renshaw said he regretted not knowing the Child Safety Service had found, on the balance of probabilities, that Zoe had indeed been raped by Dr Tim.

He said that information, provided to him on Thursday by Ms Bennett, “was a surprise to me”.

“I regret not knowing that information, and I know the suggestion caused additional grief to the Duncan family, and for that I apologise,” he said before the commission.

“I should have known about the re-evaluation of the case … I concede that was wrong and I sincerely apologise to the family and to the commission.”

LGH’s Peter Renshaw slammed for not believing young girl’s story

A KEY Launceston General Hospital director has proclaimed he didn’t believe a young girl’s claims she’d been raped by one of the hospital’s doctors in 2001.

Peter Renshaw, who started in the role of executive director of medical services in 1989 after just two years as a junior doctor, gave evidence before the child sexual abuse commission of inquiry on Thursday.

The director was questioned at length about the hospital’s response to escalating allegations from 11-year-old Zoe Duncan about Dr Tim*.

He was admonished by counsel assisting the commission, Elizabeth Bennett SC, for causing further pain to the family of Zoe by stating he didn’t believe her allegations of rape.

Zoe passed away at age 28 after refusing to return to the hospital for treatment of her ongoing health problems.

Dr Renshaw said he didn’t escalate Zoe’s initial concerns, or remove Dr Tim from contact with children for a number of reasons.

He claimed Zoe’s parents had been “reluctant” to make a report, and also said it would be a “knee-jerk” reaction, given he’d only known about a lesser allegation at the time.

Dr Renshaw also claimed some of the allegations against Dr Tim – including that he’d kissed Zoe’s hand and told her he wanted to marry her – could have been explained as cultural differences.

He said the kissing could have been described as a “faux gallant” action, and that in Dr Tim’s culture, there was a “high rate of adolescent girls being married off to older men”.

Dr Renshaw said he was aware of a subsequent allegation that Zoe had been raped by Dr Tim – but didn’t believe it happened.

“I don’t believe that was the case,” he said.

“The three enquiries that were held by Child Protection, by the police and by the Medical Board of Tasmania supported that.”

Dr Renshaw said he was surprised, after being advised by Ms Bennett, that a member of the Child Safety Service previously told the commission the agency did hold a rape had occurred.

“It does surprise me,” he said.

Health Portrait Doctor Peter Renshaw Director of Medical Services at the Launceston General Hospital

“Because I know the layout, the set-out of our emergency department, it is highly unlikely that that actually occurred.”

Ms Bennett suggested it was open to the commission that Dr Renshaw was not in a position to assess whether or not a rape had occurred – noting he’d only spoken to her once, did not examine her, and made no forensic enquiries.

“It might be open to the commission to find that you are demonstrating an astonishing lack of insight in the pain that you are causing members of the deceased’s family here today,” she said.

He replied that he had “no intention of giving grief or pain”, but was “trying to testify to the truth as I understand it”.

Dr Renshaw said with his knowledge of the hospital, a rape had been “an unlikely thing in my view”, before adding in the same breath that “if Child Protection said there is a rape, then there has been a rape”.

On Friday, the director will continue to be questioned on his management of the case of paedophile nurse James Geoffrey Griffin, who worked in the hospital’s children’s ward between 2001 and 2019.

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Originally published as ‘No marked changes’: LGH director doesn’t know of any hospital changes since days of James Geoffrey Griffin