Monday, 5 July 2021, 2:06 pm
Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell today
released a report finding a district health board in breach
of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’
Rights (the Code) for failures in its care of a woman with a
liver lesion.
The woman presented to the Taranaki
District Health Board (TDHB) emergency department with leg
pain and swelling. She was referred for a CT scan which
resulted in an incidental finding of a liver lesion, for
which further non-urgent imaging was
recommended.
While the woman received timely and
appropriate treatment in the emergency department at the
time, further follow-up of the non-urgent liver lesion, in
Monday, 5 July 2021, 2:09 pm
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall today
released a report finding a dermatologist in breach of the
Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights
(the Code) for failures in his care of a woman undergoing
surgery for skin cancer.
The woman, aged in her
forties at the time of events, was referred to the
dermatologist after a lesion was identified on the left-side
of her forehead. It was confirmed to be a basal cell
carcinoma lesion and the woman underwent Mohs surgery (a
precise surgical technique to treat skin
cancer).
Around 24 hours after the surgery, when the
Source:Â Health and Disability Commissioner
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Kevin Allan today released a report finding a pharmacy and pharmacist in breach of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumersâ Rights (the Code) for failures in relation to dispensing medication to a teenager.
The teenager was prescribed sumatriptan for migraines. The pharmacist mistakenly dispensed another medication, sertraline, which is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. The error was discovered over six months later by the teenagerâs school nurse.
The Deputy Commissioner considered that the pharmacist did not check the dispensed medication adequately. The pharmacy failed to undertake an adequate review of the error, missing an opportunity to identify how the error occurred and to identify actions to minimise such errors in the future.
Monday, 28 June 2021, 2:01 pm
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Kevin Allan
today released a report finding a DHB and orthopaedic
surgeon in breach of the Code of Health and Disability
Services Consumers’ Rights (the Code) for failures in
their care of a toddler following surgery.
The toddler
was diagnosed with developmental dysplasia of the hip after
he began walking with a limp. The orthopaedic surgeon
subsequently performed corrective surgery and the toddler
had a cast applied. Following the surgery, the toddler
attended appointments with the orthopaedic surgeon on
multiple occasions to check his progress and change his
cast.
While the orthopaedic surgeon checked the
Monday, 28 June 2021, 2:02 pm
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall today
released a report finding an aged care provider in breach of
the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’
Rights (the Code) for failures in its care of an elderly
woman.
The woman, aged in her nineties at the time of
these events, had a number of health issues including
recurrent pneumonia, leukaemia, Parkinson’s disease and a
sacral pressure injury. She required full assistance with
daily living activities.
Until her death, she was a
permanent resident at Waiapu House Lifecare (WHL) run by
Heritage Lifecare Limited. This was during a period of