An experienced Adelaide nurse has been banned from practising for nine months for giving a dangerous drug to the wrong patient and trying to cover it up. Ms Newblack admitted to the tribunal that she wrongfully administered intravenous morphine to the wrong patient on September 13, 2015. She also admitted she failed to report the wrongful administration, falsified records, encouraged two other staff members to stay silent and gave a false or misleading explanation to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Ms Newblack told the tribunal that she had been dealing with a family crisis and agreed to look after the patients of another nurse, who was going on a tea break. One of her new tasks was to administer morphine to the patient, referred to as “BZ”, in cubicle 33. “(Ms Newblack) went alone into cubicle 36 and not cubicle 33. She did not check the patient’s name to ensure that she was dealing with patient BZ,” the tribunal stated. “This was in breach of the medical administration policy of SA Health as applied by Flinders Medical Centre — the policy requires two qualified nurses to be present at the time of administration.
January 31, 2019
Parents Without Partners Victoria has a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) to answer before Deputy President Hamilton in his Melbourne chambers (Humphris).
January 31, 2019
A disability support worker has called out rangers who fined him $130 for driving through a ‘restricted road’ to pick up an ailing wheelchair-bound man on a hot day. Mikey Loaniddes admitted to using a restricted road through Centennial Parklands in Sydney on the Australia Day public holiday on Monday. But he said rangers at the event should have shown some discretion instead of fining him for trying to help ease his friend’s discomfort.
January 31, 2019
An innocent woman was forced to give DNA samples, had her car impounded, and was summoned to court after a licencing database bungle. Rachel Martins, 31, was on her way to work on Tuesday morning when police pulled her over in Cockburn in southern Perth, for a random breath test. The disability support worker blew a zero reading but police checked her licence and told her it was suspended on medical grounds. ‘I was very confused and in tears as they took a DNA test, fingerprints and mugshot. I felt so humiliated as I knew I did nothing wrong,’ she said. Ms Martins was then told her car would be impounded and she would be issued a court summons on a charge of driving with a suspended licence. ‘I explained I had a medical assessment done every two years because I take medication for anxiety and depression,’ she said. ‘But I had done that and filled out he forms and was issued a driver’s licence that was valid until July. Why would I be issued a valid drivers license if it was suspended?’ Ms Martins said her protests fell on deaf ears as the database police looked up her licence on showed it was suspended. ‘The only explanation I received was that they did not know and that I would have to contact the Department of Transportation,’ she said. ‘All they had to do was call the Department and they would have verified my licence validity. It would have taken 10 minutes.’ Instead, Ms Martins was stranded by the side of the road with no way to make it to work, where a disabled client was waiting for her. ‘I walked away in tears figuring out who to call to pick me up and having to call work and my client who is waiting for me to care for him why I can’t come in,’ she said. ‘The whole ordeal emotionally distressed me, and it also affected my disabled client, who didn’t have anyone to look after him.’ Ms Martins complained to police and the WA Transport Department and police realised their mistake on Wednesday morning. ‘I received a call from a police sergeant in charge that day for the bus apologising and saying he would drop my car off,’ she said. ‘The least they could have done is filled it up with petrol for me!’ WA Police said it requested clarification of Ms Martins’ licence validity with the Transport Department, which ‘confirmed there was an anomaly in the system’. ‘In recognition of the error, an officer attended at the residence of Ms Martins to offer an apology and returned her vehicle,’ it said. ‘Ms Martin will not be charged and all her identifying particulars will be destroyed.’ The Transport Department blamed the misunderstanding on not every part of its system being automatically updated, which caused delays. ‘A subsequent review by DoT revealed that incorrect information regarding her licence status had been provided to police. This was immediately corrected,’ it said.
January 31, 2019
A “drug-affected” young man who allegedly put a female paramedic in a headlock and repeatedly punched her in the face in the back of an ambulance may have just returned from Rainbow Serpent festival when the incident occurred. Two paramedics were called to Reynard Street in Coburg in Melbourne’s north on Tuesday night after reports a man in his 20s was behaving erratically and knocking on doors in the area. The female paramedic, aged in her early 30s, was treating the man when he became aggressive and allegedly assaulted her. “The patient was in the back of the ambulance and apparently she said there were no cues to suggest he was aggressive,” said Ambulance Employees Australia spokesman Danny Hill.
January 30, 2019
A Victorian psychologist who had a sexual relationship with a client being treated for depression and addiction has been disqualified from registration for at least six months. David Griersmith, who practised in Mt Eliza, was reprimanded and found guilty of multiple occurrences of professional misconduct, including starting a relationship with a client before ceasing professional treatment of her. In a decision published this month by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, it was revealed that the client, referred to as Ms A, first met Mr Griersmith in July 2013 seeking treatment for anxiety, depression, alcohol problems and gambling addiction. The Australian Psychological Society code of ethics prohibits psychologists from having sex with a former patient for at least two years after the professional relationship has ended. Even then, it must be discussed with a senior psychologist. After Mr Griersmith stopped treating his client, a relationship continued in which the pair travelled overseas to India and Malaysia. At times Mr Griersmith kept possession of Ms A’s bank cards to help her control her gambling habit. Ms A later revealed to a second psychologist that her relationship with Mr Griersmith, which ended in January 2015, was causing her “distress”, the tribunal heard. Upon discovering Ms A’s partner had also been her therapist, the second psychologist reported Mr Griersmith to the Psychology Board of Australia, prompting an investigation. Psychologists are required under Health Practitioner Regulation National Law to report any “sexual misconduct in connection with the practice of the practitioner’s profession”. Between July 2013 and April 2014 Ms A had 44 consultations with Mr Griersmith. An investigation by the Psychology Board of Australia found Mr Griersmith’s own consultation notes and correspondence about Ms A described her condition as “severe and complex”, and that she was dealing with “major issues” which caused her to be “constantly emotional and teary”. During her treatment in early 2014, Mr Griersmith explained to Ms A that personal relationships between psychologists and their clients were prohibited, the tribunal heard. But by their final session in April 2014, a personal relationship between the pair had begun. It continued until January the following year. It took until September 2017, about 18 months after the board was notified, for it to officially suspend Mr Griersmith’s registration. Mr Griersmith described his conduct as “a grave and serious error of judgment” in his submissions to the board and said he was ashamed at having betrayed his client’s trust. “My conduct was very serious in its consequences, and I am deeply ashamed and remorseful regarding my behaviour,” one statement said. “The entire matter has been a source of intense distress, anguish and sickening trauma for me with negative consequences on my life and relationships. I will not go through it again. “I have taken steps to ensure no recurrence and maintain professional standards expected of me.” Tribunal members warned in their final decision that relationships between psychologists and clients are “likely to cause harm” and are “exploitative”. “This tribunal (and others) have repeatedly warned psychologists that personal relationships with clients during and within two years of a professional relationship are unacceptable and are likely to draw significant consequences for a psychologist’s practice,” it said. It also found Mr Griersmith failed to seek professional supervision in managing his relationship with Ms A, and misled medical practitioners in failing to note the existence of his relationship with her. In handing down Mr Griersmith’s six-month disqualification, the tribunal said it took into consideration the 15 months he had already been out of practice. Mr Griersmith is disqualified from applying for registration as a registered health practitioner until June 18 this year.
January 29, 2019
A s.185 (Enterprise agreement) application from the National Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Limited T/A The Lowitja Institute for The Lowitja Institute Collective Agreement 2018-2021 has been ratified by Fair Work Commissioner Johns in Sydney on 21 January 2019.
January 29, 2019
Ballarat Community Health has a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) to argue before Fair Work Deputy President Hamilton in Court 3 & Conference Room B – Level 6 in Melbourne (Mawkes).
