Annie Moylan’s parents Brian and Marg Moylan want Daniel Andrews to take action

The parents of a pregnant Melbourne woman who died in hospital say they want more than just words after Daniel Andrews said sorry for an “administrative error”.

The parents of a pregnant woman who died of sepsis in a private hospital are urging Premier Daniel Andrews to take action, rather than offer an apology, three years after they flagged damning evidence of negligence.

Brian and Marg are so convinced their daughter Annie, and her baby, would be alive today had Holmesglen Private Hospital complied with the national minimum standards, that they wrote to the Premier and health minister in February 2020 highlighting their concerns.

But they never received a response.

So when the Premier said in a press conference, just before Annie’s inquest, he was not aware of the correspondence, they wrote again.

Annie Moylan’s parents Brian and Marg Moylan. Picture: Jason Edwards

Again, they didn’t receive a reply.

On Wednesday, Mr Andrews issued an apology but said not responding was an “administrative error.”

“I want to extend an apology to the family,” he said.

“I’m upset to think that any administrative error or any lack of efficient processes made an incredibly difficult time for them any harder.”

Annie Moylan and her baby may still be alive today had her care been escalated. Picture: Jason Edwards

“It was just one of those administrative errors and there’s nothing more in it than that. However the pain that it has caused is very real and I’m very sorry about that.”

The Moylans said it was time for action, not words.

“We are pleased the Premier has recognised the added pain and trauma that his failure of responding to our correspondence of 14 February 2020 and 28 October 2022 has caused, and accept his apology,” Dr Moylan, a GP of 43 years, said.

“In apologising, we assume that he is now acknowledging the very serious failures in the private hospital system.”

Premier Daniel Andrews issued an apology on Wednesday but said not responding was an ‘administrative error’. Picture: David Geraghty

He added: “Annie’s death has raised serious issues and fundamental flaws in the private health system. Notably a hospital operating without meeting basic standards and no sanctions for that noncompliance.

“We now need action, not words.

“We urge the Premier to call an inquiry into the Victorian health system – both private and public – as both are in crisis.

“All we want is accountability and that when you walk through the door of a hospital, you are in a safe environment. Not dying, like Annie did, in a private health system that is running without effective regulation.”

Coroner John Cain handed down his inquest findings into Annie’s death on Tuesday.

The Moylans have written since 2017 to the Department of Health and Human Services, the Private Hospitals Unit and Safer Care Victoria about Annie’s care and death.

When they failed to get answers they wrote twice to Premier Dan Andrews and then Health Minister Jenny Mikakos in February 2020.

“There is little point in accreditation standards if they are not complied with, and there appears to be little, or no sanction for noncompliance,” one letter states.

“A life was lost and compliance with these standards would have enabled the best opportunity of survival and recovery for our daughter.”

Further letters were sent in October last year to Premier Andrews and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas. They again stated the standard breaches and again flagged they had not received a reply.

On Wednesday, at 9.40am, Premier Andrews said: “As I understand, the matter was referred to the Minister for Health and they have reached out to the family.”

Marg said they eventually received an email at 1.05pm.

“We thought if we told them the system was broken, they’d fix it. So we started writing,” she said.

“But no one wants to listen. Saying the minister for health has reached out, after all the letters, all the publicity, is an insult.”

Mary-Anne Thomas said in her email on Wednesday: “Please accept my sincere apologies for not responding to your correspondence from the end of last year, I was mortified to discover that it had not been brought to my attention.

“Can I assure you that I have asked my department to urgently investigate the matters you raised in your correspondence and will formally respond to you as soon as possible.”

It’s been five and a half years since Annie died.

“All we want to do is make the state safe – why are we meeting such resistance?”

Earlier, the Moylans said had the hospital been using the right “track and trigger” observation sheets – a key requirement in the hospital being accredited – Annie’s care would have been escalated and she and her baby may still be alive today.

The couple previously said: “We want to say to our premier, Daniel Andrews, we notified you in February 2020, we showed you the information that Holmesglen Private Hospital Emergency Department did not comply with the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards and we have had no response three years later,” Ms Moylan said

“We sent several emails to the premier, and Jenny Mikakos, and we refer to the standards in them but we have not had a response from the premier or health department.

“We really need a proper and thorough inquiry. The Premier has his head in the sand,” she said.

Dr Moylan – a GP of 43 years – added: “We need a review into the health system in Victoria. I think the public system is also in crisis.

“It would be Annie’s legacy. She is driving us. She would have wanted change above all else.”

Their comments came after Coroner John Cain handed down his inquest findings on Tuesday, which concluded gastro was a “reasonable diagnosis” when Annie first arrived at Holmesglen Private Hospital Emergency Department on 14 August 2017 and when that view should have been reconsidered, it was too late to save her.

Sepsis can be easily treated with antibiotics.

Annie only received the medication after being transferred to St Vincent’s Private Hospital, seven hours after first attending the emergency department of Holmesglen Private Hospital

As revealed by the Herald Sun, the Moylans were “disappointed” people and documents – such as the observation charts – were excluded from the inquest.

“We are disappointed the scope of the inquest was narrowed so much,” Dr Moylan said.

“Vital witnesses were not included, and we think the outcome has been compromised by a lack of that information.”

Ms Moylan added: “We would have liked the standards to have been addressed in the inquest. They have been set to keep us safe, protect us, so if they are not being adhered to, if there is no regulatory compliance then the state government needs to address it

Coroner John Cain recommended all health facilities should be required to undertake “root cause analysis” of sentinel events, and private hospitals should be required to have an independent member on the root cause analysis panel.

He also recommended Safer Care Victoria monitor the co-operation of health services providing reviews into sentinel events, consider information around maternal sepsis and develop tools for the “proper handover” of patients between health services.

Dr Moylan said: “Annie’s care was dreadful. She had a right to expect much, much more.

“Her death, in our view, was preventable. And with reasonable systems and care, with reasonable clinical judgment, Annie would be alive today and her baby would be alive today.

“I’m of the clear view her death was avoidable.”

Ms Moylan said they would keep pushing for stricter regulation of private hospitals.

“We need to trust that when you walk into a hospital like Annie did, that you are safe and that the standards are being complied to and if they are not complying, what are the sanctions.

“I don’t want to see anybody go through what we have gone through to give Annie, our beautiful Annie up in heaven, a voice.”

Premier Daniel Andrews did not respond to claims he ignored the Moylans’ letters.