Death certificates recorded at a Tasmanian public hospital are under a spotlight after an examination of the activities of former hospital executive Dr Peter Renshaw.
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An independent panel said it had uncovered irregular practices by a Launceston General Hospital staff member, who was revealed during a parliamentary inquiry to be Dr Renshaw.
The panel said he completed or edited death certificates on multiple occasions where he was not the treating doctor, and raised questions around the accurate documentation of conversations with coroners.
The panel now recommends a review of every death certificate at LGH that was certified by Dr Renshaw.
Health Department Acting Secretary Dale Webster said the panel will now review 63 more deaths recorded by the LGH.
Inaccurate certificates may prevent coronial inquest.
The independent panel looking at reportable death processes at Tasmanian public hospitals began its review in February this year after allegations that a staff member failed to report deaths at the hospital correctly.
The panel initially reviewed 21 patient deaths that were flagged as requiring further examination.
Of these, the panel referred six deaths to the coroner.
The panel will now look at whether Dr Renshaw edited any other medical death certificates for patients at the Launceston General Hospital.
Dr Renshaw came under the public spotlight during 2022's commission of inquiry for lying about child abuse at the LGH to government superiors.
When should a death be reported to the coroner?
Under current laws, any unexpected death in the hospital where a medical procedure may have caused the death must be reported to the coroner.
The treating medical practitioners must write a death certificate to record the cause of death and to certify that they attended to the deceased patient.
In hospitals, it is practice that only the treating medical team should write the death certificate because they have "the most in-depth knowledge about the deceased, their medical conditions and cause of death".
If the medical practitioner finds that a lack of medically accepted treatment may have caused the death, then they must report the death to the coroner.
It is the coroner's job to decide whether an inquest into the death should be held.
A coronial inquest brings possible public scrutiny to the death and opens up avenues for medical negligence claims for legal compensation and coronial recommendations for change.
Panel uncovers questionable, possibly illegal practices at LGH
In its interim report, released on 21 May, the panel said the LGH staff member completed or edited death certificates on multiple occasions when he was not the treating doctor.
The panel said that the irregular practices related to:
- certification and/or alteration of [death certificates] without attending to the patient before or after death;
- or accurately documenting alleged conversations with the coroner's office.
Mr Webster said the panel has ruled out broader systemic issues.
"While the panel has advised that they have not observed any practices or evidence that there is a systemic issue, all of these cases were originally assessed by a single former staff member, who the Department of Health no longer employs," Mr Webster said.
"The Panel will now examine an additional 63 matters to date that were originally assessed by the single former staff member."
