Hedland Health Campus death leaves Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson ‘deeply saddened’

The death of an Indigenous woman in the wake of a visit to Hedland Health Campus left Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson “deeply saddened” but she declined to shed any light on what had occurred. WA Country Health Service has confirmed a “full and thorough” investigation into the woman’s death – which is understood to have occurred earlier this week – is currently underway. She died after seeking mental health treatment at the Pilbara hospital but many of the facts surrounding the incident remain unclear – including how and where the woman died, whether the treatment she received was appropriate and whether Hedland Health Campus was short staffed at the time she presented. “The WA Country Health Service has advised that they are conducting an investigation into this matter and that the patient’s family is being provided with ongoing support,” Ms Sanderson said. “I was deeply saddened to learn of the patient’s passing and my thoughts and condolences are with their family. “While the investigation is ongoing, and out of respect to the patient’s family who are grieving, I will not be commenting further on this matter.” Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam said the woman’s death was devastating for her family and the health workers who treated her. “Our heart goes out to everyone impacted by this tragedy,” Ms Mettam said. “As a matter of urgency, it is essential that the hospital is provided with a full staffing roster to ensure that patients in the region can expect the best possible care and our health workers have the support they need.” Australian Medical Association (WA) president Mark Duncan-Smith said he was unaware of the specifics of the incident but that staffing of hospitals across regional WA – and especially in the North West – had been an issue for some time. “From my point of view, it’s very frustrating trying to get WA Health to understand the critical level of poor culture and morale in the country,” Dr Duncan-Smith said. “I’ve been advised that health professionals quite simply are just quitting. They’re just leaving. “It really is, I think, getting to become dire. And it is being brought to the attention of WA Health and very little seems to be getting done about it.” Dr Duncan-Smith also pointed to the results of the most recent Minister for Health Survey in 2021, which found contracted medical practitioners in regional hospitals were far less satisfied than their peers in Perth. “The bottom line is that WACHS is not an employer of choice,” he said. “They do not provide a work environment that is conducive to being an employer of choice and they have the poorest morale and engagement.” Figures tabled in Parliament reveal the number of Severity Code Assessment 1 incidents at Hedland Health Campus had quadrupled from two in 2018-19 to eight in 2020-21 – and there had already been three up to the end of October in 2022-23. SAC1s are defined as clinical incidents “that have or could have (near miss) caused serious harm or death that is attributable to health care provision (or lack thereof) rather than the patient’s underlying condition or illness.” While the deceased woman is understood to be an adult, Parliament also heard the number of children presenting to Hedland Health Campus with a mental health issue rose from 96 in 2018-19 to 118 in 202-21. Some 43 kids had visited the hospital for mental health treatment between July 1 and October 26 last year – placing the hospital on track for nearly 130 presentations in 2022-23 and pointing to increasing demand. Staff at the hospital walked off the job in protest against severe rostering shortages last August, protesting against excessive hours, fatigue and burnout. In October, the WACHS midwifery coordinator emailed maternity staff with a “super urgent shout out for midwives for the Pilbara”. “I know you are all strapped but if there are any midwives, or yourselves, interested in short term deployment to Karratha or Hedland from Nov 8 – travel, accommodation and site allowances apply,” the email read. “They are at imminent risk of service failure, name your terms…”