Royal Prince Alfred Hospital being investigated by Clinical Excellence Commission

An investigation has been launched at RPA Hospital after whistleblower doctors called for urgent action over what they describe as a “avoidable” deaths and “preventable” injuries.

Ambulances outside Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Camperdown. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Exclusive: An investigation has been launched into heart services at one of Australia’s top hospitals after eight specialists called for urgent action over what they describe as a string “avoidable” deaths and “preventable serious injuries”.

The peak body for patient health and safety – the Clinical Excellence Commission – has been called in to investigate cardiac services Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH), after the doctors said their concerns were initially ignored by health bureaucrats.

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Camperdown. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

The specialists claim they were threatened by people within the health sector with legal action and code of conduct breaches designed to silence them, after they raised concerns over services afforded some of the country’s most challenging heart patients.

The doctors said they were specifically concerned by the number of serious complications involving patients including what they described as avoidable deaths, catastrophic bleeding, threatened limbs and other injuries.

In one of their letters to NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, a copy of which has been obtained by this publication, the specialists wrote: “We need you as Minister to intervene urgently before any more patients are injured or die unnecessarily. The Sydney Local Health District Executive and NSW Health have failed us.”

A spokesperson for the Minister confirmed the letters had been received and said “our thoughts are with the families of those people”.

“The Minister always values the views and perspectives of frontline health workers and clinicians,” he said.

The letter sent to NSW Health Minister Ryan Park. Picture: Supplied

“We understand this matter is the subject of multiple external reviews and investigations so it is therefore not appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”

A NSW Health Department spokesman said the Commission has been asked to “undertake a broad clinical governance review at Royal Prince Alfred...”.

“As part of that review an expert team will review clinical cases and outcomes to determine if there are any concerns that need to be investigated further,” the spokesman said.

It can be revealed another external review has been undertaken to improve the services and identify governance, workflow, and resources requirements. A string of recommendations have been made but they have not been made public.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park. Photo: Tim Pascoe

The President of the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) Dr Tony Sara said “if a large number of senior doctors perceive that there is an issue then it may need to be looked at.”

RPAH is one of Australia’s top hospitals and is recognised for its excellence and innovation in the treatment of heart disease. The first open heart surgery in NSW was conducted at RPAH and was the first aortic value replacement operation and the first coronary angiography.

Dr Tony Sara, President of Australaian Salaried Medical Officers Federation. Picture: Adam Smith

The eight specialists, with decades of experience, claim they have raised numerous concerns in the past few years but no action has been taken by health administrators.

Despite verbal and written complaints through formal channels the doctors say nothing has changed and previous “reviews” have failed to adequately address their concerns.

The doctor’s said the most recent incident took place at RPA earlier this year when a patient suffered a vascular injury during an operation, but was saved by emergency surgery.

The group compared the situation at RPA to a recent case in the UK in which hospital administrators did not heed warnings.

“Just as in the UK, we communicated our serious concerns to the RPA executive and the Sydney Local Health District over many years, particularly the last four years. However, no action has been taken. Indeed our serious concerns have been systematically suppressed by threats of legal action should we speak up,” they wrote.

Other doctors have also backed up complaints and written independently to the Minister saying it would be wrong to dismiss the doctors as “difficult” or going over the heads of administration because they are raising such an important issue.

And separately, another doctor has written to the Minister saying he is so concerned about the risks to his patients “ … I am going to cease referring them ....until appropriate action is taken.”

Aside from the issues raised in the letters to the Minister, doctors at RPA and Concord Hospitals have raised general concerns about the administration of the hospitals and a purported culture of silence.

In June, Concord Medical Staff passed a vote of no confidence in the SLHD chief executive Dr Teresa Anderson.

Dr Teresa Anderson. Picture: Supplied

WHISTLEBLOWER DOCTOR SPEAKS OUT

A whistleblower doctor has asked the NSW Coroner to look into the deaths of three patients at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

The doctor claims the failure by the Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), which is responsible for RPA, to protect the patients from harm has been “deplorable.”

The doctor, who asked for their name to be withheld because of potential reprisals within the health care sector, believes the SLHD has not taken adequate action because the cardiac treatment is too “prestigious and lucrative” for the hospital.

Complaints also made to the healthcare watchdog, the Medical Council, about other adverse outcomese which led to the Council taking unspecified action “to protect the health and safety of the public”.

The Medical Council has been contacted for comment.

Silhouette photo of a doctor who is speaking out anonymously about RPA Hospital. Picture: Monique Harmer

The complaint to the Coroner claims the deaths at the hospital were preventable and “show a pattern of dangerous and unprofessional behaviour which threaten patient’s safety and abuses the trust of the public.”

The Coroner’s office had already dispensed with the need for an inquest into one death, before the complaint was made. However, it is understood here has been no formal response as yet to the request to look into the three together.

Doctors say departments at RPA are divided and “there are major cultural problems which should have been sorted out a long time ago”.

One said “the leadership has failed to address the poor culture in the department for decades and it has driven a wedge between people,” said the doctor.

In 2018, the RPA cardiothoracic department lost its accreditation to train doctors after complaints of bullying. The accreditation has since been restored.

The doctor said there had been reported and documented patterns of behaviour at RPAH which lead to the adverse outcomes including a lack of respect for professional boundaries or professional responsibilities including the reporting of deaths and adverse events. There was also a disregard for patient safety in performing procedures.