HEALTH ALERT 25 June 2018 Key Judgments............................................................................................................................ 2 Judgments.................................................................................................................................... 3 Commonwealth: Fair Work Commission............................................................................... 3 New South Wales ..................................................................................................................... 3 Queensland............................................................................................................................... 3 South Australia......................................................................................................................... 4 Victoria ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Legislation.................................................................................................................................... 4 Commonwealth ........................................................................................................................ 4 New South Wales ..................................................................................................................... 4 Queensland............................................................................................................................... 4 South Australia......................................................................................................................... 4 Reports ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Australia: Department of Health............................................................................................. 4 Australia: Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the boards (AHPRA) .................... 5 Australia: National Blood Authority....................................................................................... 5 Australia: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)................................. 5 Australia: Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule ...................................................................... 6 Australia: Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)........................................................... 6 Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care ........................................... 6 Australian Digital Health Agency ........................................................................................... 6 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) ............................................................... 6 Australian Capital Territory (ACT): Health Directorate ........................................................ 7 New South Wales (NSW): Ministry of Health......................................................................... 7 NSW: Health Care Complaints Commission ......................................................................... 9 Northern Territory .................................................................................................................... 9 Queensland: Department of Health........................................................................................ 9 South Australia (SA): Department for Health & Ageing....................................................... 9 Tasmania: Department of Health & Human Services.........................................................11 Victoria: Department of Health .............................................................................................11 Victorian Agency for Health Information.............................................................................11 Western Australia (WA): Department of Health ..................................................................12 New Zealand: Ministry of Health...........................................................................................12 UK: Department of Health .....................................................................................................13 DLA Piper 1 Australian Medical Association (AuMA)..............................................................................13 About us .....................................................................................................................................14 More information .......................................................................................................................14 KEY JUDGMENTS 18 June 2018 - Health Care Complaints Commission v CSM [2018] NSWSC 902 - ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – judicial review – appeal on question of law – procedural fairness – protective orders – where Tribunal indicated contentment with proposed orders but then did not make all proposed orders – where procedural fairness was denied – whether certain orders may only be made as a package – statutory interpretation – individual orders may be made to the exclusion of others This decision is an appeal from an earlier disciplinary proceeding in which a nurse admitted to professional misconduct after engaging in a sexual relationship with a psychiatric patient. As part of those proceedings, the practitioner consented to a suite of protective orders. In making its decision however, the Tribunal only made one of the protective orders. The Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) appealed alleging errors by the Tribunal relating to inadequate protection orders and further, disputing the Tribunal's decision to withhold the practitioner's name. The nurse argued that no error had been made. The Supreme Court held that whilst it is open to the Tribunal to make some or all of the orders sought, the rules of natural justice required that due process be followed. In the circumstances, the Court held that the HCCC should have been allowed to respond to the question of whether the protective orders ought to have been seen as a package, or whether only some of the orders could be made. As such, the Supreme Court allowed the appeal in part, but held that the suppression order regarding the practitioners name was made in accordance with law. 22 June 2018 - Inquest into the death of Manusiu Amone - CORONIAL LAW – neonatal death, pethidine, squames, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, gasping respirations, postnatal observations, perinatal and paediatric postmortem examination, NSW Health Pathology 22 June 2018 - Inquest into the death of Jasmine Chiang - CORONIAL LAW – neonatal death, pethidine, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, perinatal and paediatric postmortem examination, NSW Health Pathology. Two coronial inquests into the deaths of two newborns in Sydney hospitals have been released by the NSW Coroner. The findings were delivered jointly owing to commonalities between the tragic deaths including both mothers having been given the same drug, pethidine, hours before their babies died. Manusiu Amone was born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. Soon thereafter, her ability to breathe became compromised. Narcan was administered, but with nil affect. Doctors continued to treat Manusiu and attempted resuscitation, but at just after two hours past her birth, palliative care was administered. Manusiu died shortly thereafter. Whilst her autopsy report said her death was most likely a result of the 'toxic effects' of Pethidine, the Coroner blamed an intrinsic lung pathology. Similarly, Jasmine Chiang started to develop difficulty breathing shortly after her birth. Whilst doctors attempted to stabilise the baby for seven hours, medical staff were ultimately unable to save her life. The Coroner held Jasmine's death to be due to primary idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, complicated by pulmonary haemorrhage. The Coroner found the care given to both babies to have been appropriate. However, upon considering their autopsies, the Coroner gave recommendations about how post-mortem examinations of newborns ought to be carried out in the future. These recommendations included similar examinations being jointly conducted by a forensic pathologist, and a perinatal and paediatric anatomical pathologist, or alternatively just a perinatal and paediatric anatomical pathologist. DLA Piper 2 JUDGMENTS Commonwealth: Fair Work Commission 15 June 2018 - Union Aid Abroad-Apheda Staff Agreement 2018-2019 [2018] FWCA 3534 - Application for approval of the Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA Staff Agreement 2018-2019. 18 June 2018 - Challenge Disability Services Workplace Agreement 2009 [2018] FWCA 3508 - Application for termination of the Challenge Disability Services Workplace Agreement 2009. 18 June 2018 - Respect Group Limited Enterprise Agreement 2017 [2018] FWCA 3544 - Application for approval of the Respect Group Limited Enterprise Agreement 2017. 18 June 2018 - Olivet Aged Person’s Home Nurses Enterprise Agreement 2018 [2018] FWCA 3549 - Application for approval of the Olivet Aged Person’s Home Nurses Enterprise Agreement 2018. 18 June 2018 - Women's Health West Incorporated Enterprise Agreement 2017 [2018] FWCA 3560 - Application for approval of the Women's Health West Incorporated Enterprise Agreement 2017. 19 June 2018 - Presbyterian Care Tasmania Incorporated Nurses Enterprise Agreement 2016 [2018] FWCA 3575 - Application for termination of the Presbyterian Care Tasmania incorporated Nurses Enterprise Agreement