Today we honour June Long and remember her iatrogenic death for it is the reason The June Long Foundation for Patient Safety and the fearless Medical Error Action Group were founded on 16 August 1996.
June Long, sportswoman, medical, veterinary and vaccine researcher, loving mother, we honour and remember you.
LONDON — Lord Kenneth CLARKE, who was a Thatcher Government Conservative Minister of State for Health (1982-85), Secretary of State for Health (1988-90), was in the witness box at the Infected Blood Inquiry yesterday.
Ken CLARKE has been criticised by families affected by the infected blood inquiry for displaying “contempt” in his evidence after he showed a reluctance to answer questions.
Lord Clarke appeared to become irritated with the level of detail being examined by the lead counsel, Jenni Richards QC.
At one point, he asked: “Why do we have to go through such meticulous detail through who said what when, when did he change his mind?” He added that it was “interesting” but “pretty pointless”.
Earlier he said he was not responsible for blood products during the early days of the infected blood scandal despite being a health minister at the time. He said he was dealing with policies such as closing “old Victorian asylums” or getting rid of “old geriatric hospitals”.
“I didn’t call meetings on it. I was never the minister directly responsible for blood products. I was never asked to take a decision on blood products. I never intervened to take a decision on blood products. I did intervene or get involved in discussions a bit when I wanted to be reassured.”
Judge Sir Brian Langstaff is running this inquiry and determines the questioning, not Lord Clarke!
Read more of Sarah Marsh’s story in The Guardian:
Ken Clarke criticised for showing ‘contempt’ at infected blood inquiry
Let all politicians’ heads roll for their dereliction of duty.
Australia’s politicians? You’re next.
SOURCE: SKY NEWS AU / ALAN JONES / 23 JUNE 2021
LONDON — CONTAMINATED BLOOD INQUIRY UK — Not a day goes by without the horrors of contaminated blood being revealed.
Treloar College, Hampshire, school for children with a disability, were caught up in what has been called the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.
From 1974 to 1987, young boys with haemophilia were given Factor VIII contaminated with HIV and viral HEPATITIS C – and a death sentence with it.
At least 72 died after being given a drug contaminated with it.
The “official cover-up” by the British Government! It is the “unofficial cover-up” in Australia.
30,000 British received contaminated blood, 3,000 died. These are the figures being revealed now.
Politicians involved in the cover-up are unfolding. Australia’s turn is coming.
In Australia MEAG knows of 20,000 patients who were contaminated and about the same number died. But our government could not care less.
Read more from the BBC News Jim Reed’s story:
Contaminated blood inquiry: The school where dozens of pupils died.
Read more from The Sunday Times Caroline Wheeler’s story:
‘We told them the truth: the boys were infected, some would die early’
LISMORE, NORTHERN NSW — The NSW Parliament Legislative Council’s Rural Regional Remote Health inquiry is hearing evidence in country New South Wales.
During evidence at the inquiry yesterday the Northern NSW Local Health District CEO Wayne JONES denied doctors were under pressure to discharge patients to free up beds or meet key performance indicators. Mr JONES instead blamed a lack of preparation for the “rare” instances.
Wayne JONES, who are you kidding? We didn’t come down in the last shower. The general public doesn’t have to run local health districts to see glaring omissions and failures happening on your watch. These LHD CEOs are the people in charge! For God’s sake, spare us, please.
Wait till you’re in hospital Wayne JONES and get a taste of your own medicine.
NSW Ministry of Health can’t work out what is wrong? Stupidity rules.
Read the story in full in today’s Sydney Morning Herald by Carrie Fellner:
NEW SOUTH WALES, MID NORTH COAST — Today’s hearings into Rural Regional Remote Health inquiry raised another criminal doctor Emil GAYED that our regulators deliberately omitted to oust and failed his patients who were injured by his medical methods.
Now we have another Local Health District CEO saying “sorry”. Well, Hunter New England Health CEO Michael DiRIENZO, your sorry doesn’t cut it. MEAG wrote to you repeatedly about this criminal practising as a doctor, you deemed fit to allow the public to be damaged, and did nothing. You’ve still got your job? How is this? Shall we list all the other stuff-ups you have covered up?
Reminder to read the ABC News Mid North Coast Kerrin Thomas’ story:
Europe — German firm TUV Rheinland was negligent in awarding safety certificates to a French company which made faulty breast implants, a Paris court ruled, a decision advocacy groups said paved the way for thousands of women worldwide to seek damages.
More than 300,000 women received implants that were made in the 10 years up to 2010 by PIP (Poly Implant Prothèse) and filled with cheap, industrial-grade silicone not cleared for human use.
Aumaitre said the court’s ruling meant that TUV’s negligence left it solely responsible for paying damages.
“After 10 years of waiting and fierce combat, the German certifier will have to fully compensate the victims,” said Aumaitre.
Read the full story by Reuters:
French court orders damages for victims of PIP breast implant scandal
Read more of MEAG’s work on this: PIP breast implants: A ruptured disaster
PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA —
The parents of Aishwarya Aswath, who died at Perth Children’s Hospital on Easter Saturday, have released the full confidential report into their daughter’s death.
The investigating panel found the seven-year-old could’ve been saved if it wasn’t for a number of mistakes.
It revealed there was a “cascade of missed opportunities” by hospital staff to save Aishwarya.
The full 29-page report showed her parents pleaded with nurses on five separate occasions but their concerns were overlooked.
RIP Aishwarya Aswath
READ MORE OF AMBER JOHNSTON AND LUCY QUAGGIN OF 7NEWS REPORT:
Aishwarya Aswath’s parents release damning report into her death at Perth Children’s Hospital
SYDNEY —
Four mental health nurses have been deregistered after an indigenous patient with a history of self-harm killed himself on their night shift at a large Sydney hospital.
Staff were required to take observations every 30 minutes, but a coroner found the patient could have been dead from between two and eight hours before he was found at 7.30 am on May 27, 2017.
The Health Care Complaints Commission took disciplinary action against the five nurses on duty that night, contending they failed to provide proper observations and make appropriate records for the patient in the acute mental health unit.
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Tuesday found four guilty of professional misconduct but dismissed the case against the fifth nurse, Phoebe CHIKUKU.
Emma Kate BROWN was deregistered for two years, Mehul Mukundray DUDHELA and Jill Louise WATKINS for 18 months, and Florence EGBUFOR for 12 months.
Read more of AAP’s Margaret Scheikowski story:
Nurses deregistered after patient death
This is a disgrace. It’s a task for the Department of Public Prosecutions. Hospitals need to bring in the Army and instil discipline in nurses who cannot do their basic job properly. Hospitals need Matron to wield the heavy hand. Matrons once ruled hospitals, now no one does, except spin doctors. This is the result.
SINGLETON, NSW —
New South Wales does not need another inquiry into its health system. Problems are clearly evident without an inquiry and need immediate rectification. It’s not like this is a new awakening for there are major problems facing people in need of medical care in the regions. A talkfest is an excuse to do nothing in the interim. And aren’t politicians good at stalling making decisions?
The Hunter New England Health District is notoriously problem-riddled institutionally ingrained. Look within who runs HNEH.
Now the situation has arisen of at least four local general practitioners (GPs) have resigned from Singleton Hospital.
Singleton is about 220km north of Sydney in the Hunter region.
This comes at a time when the crisis facing rural and regional health services is the focus of a state parliamentary inquiry established in September 2020 to report on health outcomes and access to health and hospital services in rural, regional and remote NSW.
Read more of The Singleton Argus story by Louise Nichols:
Rural and regional health crisis comes to Singleton with local GPs resigning from hospital
