The NSW government will conduct a parliamentary inquiry into Northern Beaches Hospital after a toddler’s tragic death after receiving care at the hospital.
Two-year-old Joe Massa was taken to Northern Beaches Hospital on September 12 after he began vomiting.
His parents Elouise and Danny Massa allege they were forced to wait two hours for a bed and wrongly triaged into a lower priority, despite having a high heart rate and a severe loss of fluid.
He was transferred to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick after suffering cardiac arrest about three hours after arriving at the emergency department.
He died as a result of brain damage.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park wrote to the Committee’s Chair Jason Yat-Sen Li on Friday requesting an inquiry into the safety and quality of health services provided by Northern Beaches Hospital.
The scope of the inquiry will stretch back to October 2018 when the hospital commenced as a privately operated facility.
It will consider incidents at the hospital – including those the subject of serious adverse event reviews (SAERs) – and how the facility responded, along with the extent to which it implemented any changes prompted by those incidents.
The inquiry will also look at how the hospital supports patient and carer escalation, including the Recognise, Engage, Act, Call, Help (REACH) protocol, which guides how loved ones or family members can escalate their concerns aroud how a loved one is being treated.
Mr Park said he was grateful to the Massas for their “generosity in time and spirit” in working with the government to “honour Joe’s memory”.
“We made a commitment to Elouise and Danny to undertake the necessary reviews to understand how they and their son have been let down, as well as to learn what changes need to be made to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again,” Mr Park said.
“To that end, I’ve asked the NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to conduct an inquiry into the safety and quality of health services provided at Northern Beaches Hospital.”
The hospital’s owner Healthscope has been contacted for comment.
More to come