Mackay Healthcare says it has solved pregnancy and gynecology issues

Three years ago, patient advocate Beryl Crosby picked up the phone on an October afternoon to call the head of a public health agency more than 400 miles away.

It was a conversation that led to the spectacular unraveling of the Mackay Hospital and Health Service (MHHS), including the resignation of its board and revelations that ‘inadequate care’ contributed to the deaths of three babies.

“I received a call from a whistleblower from Mackay Base Hospital and she made some very serious allegations that patient safety was at risk,” Ms Crosby said.

“There had been problems within the hospital… but things didn’t seem to go any further after that.”

Days after her call to Lisa Davies Jones, the then chief executive of MHHS ordered an independent inquiry into obstetrics and gynecology surgical services.

‘I used to cry on the phone with patients’

During the study, which lasted almost a year, more than 170 women came forward, of which 81 were interviewed for the study.

The independent panel concluded, among other things, that substandard clinical care at Mackay Base Hospital contributed to the deaths of three babies and that several women had suffered “lifelong physical and mental damage”.

In the wake of the findings, the Minister of Health dismissed the MHHS board.

For Ms Crosby – an advocate for nearly two decades since founding a group for patients of disgraced surgeon Jayant Patel – supporting women through that “long, drawn-out process” was at times “emotional” and “traumatic”.

“I used to cry on the phone with patients,” she said.

‘Sometimes I was the first person they talked to about the trauma they experienced.

“There was a lot of relief when finally something was done and we were able to give them answers.”

Cost explosions and ‘sustainable change’

According to the agency’s annual reports, the investigation cost the MHHS $8.12 million over three years, excluding compensation payments to women through the Queensland Government Insurance Fund.

The rising costs of the research resulted in the health service receiving a $5 million top-up from Queensland Health in 2022-2023.

Current health director Susan Gannon, who was recruited after the study results were delivered, said the review had a “significant financial impact”.

“These costs were necessary to appoint the best qualified people to conduct the independent research, to increase specialist staff and to support women with psychological support and clinical care,” Ms Gannon said.

What has changed for Mackay women?

The MHHS, which serves approximately 180,000 residents of tropical north Queensland, sees between 1,500 and 1,600 births annually.

Ms Gannon said the review had resulted in “significant and lasting change”.

She said culture and collaboration in the Women’s Health Unit had improved and there was more training to support patients.

Ms Gannon said in some cases the hospital’s performance was consistent with or better than other similar services on certain clinical measures, including higher levels of continuity of care and less induced labor.

The hospital has since completed its seven obstetrics and gynecology roles and reinstated its RANZCOG training accreditation.

The accreditation allowed the hospital to train doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology, but this was lost before the review.

Of the researchers’ 122 recommendations, 116 have been completed, two are in progress and the remaining four are related to the hospital’s expansion, which will be completed in 2026.

Ongoing discussions with affected patients

Former Mackay Base Hospital patient Melissa Ferrier – whose injuries were pointed out by investigators – is part of a working group set up to oversee the implementation of the review’s recommendations.

Ms Ferrier’s bladder was severed during a hysterectomy in 2021 and subsequent surgery to repair it has led to ongoing continence problems.

The investigation found that her wound was among 21 hollow viscera injuries during obstetric and gynecological surgeries at Mackay Base Hospital (MBH) in one year.

“The expected incidence for a hospital the size of MBH would be zero to one per year,” the study found.

Ms Ferrier joined a working group, which she said enabled her to support others.

“From the first surgery I was angry, but I knew there was no way I could change the outcome,” she said.

“What can I do to fix it and make sure it doesn’t happen to someone else?”

She said the group would raise issues including informed consent about medical procedures at a meeting with Ms Gannon in December.

She said there was still a long way to go before women could trust the healthcare system.

“We are now working in the background with Queensland Health and Mackay Hospital and Health Service to help that happen for generations to come.

“But we’re not going anywhere, we’re not keeping quiet about it.”

Compensation figures not disclosed

For women, compensation is available through the Mackay HHS or through a personal injury claim in court.

The health care system would not reveal how many women received compensation through either route.

However, the investigation found that 26 cases fell below expected standards of care and were eligible for compensation through the Queensland Government Insurance Fund (QGIF).

Ms Ferrier said in her case that although auditors recognized her injuries were the result of ‘substandard’ care, she was not eligible for compensation.

Beryl Crosby said the compensation process had not gone far enough.

To receive a payout, the women had to apply to a panel that would review their case, but not everyone got past this threshold, she said.

“For some they probably do, but for others I know they never will and that’s difficult.”