Safeguarding Healthcare

How will artificial intelligence influence healthcare in the near future; what is the potential and what are the pitfalls? In this episode of ‘Safeguarding Healthcare - the Essentials of Clinical Governance’, host Dr David Rankin challenges senior healthcare administrator and healthcare futurist Professor Erwin Loh with a striking scenario. Together they delve into what to do when AI makes a mistake, explores biases, grapple with l...

What would you do if a senior psychiatrist was slacking off, and staff had gone behind management’s back to report the matter? In this episode of Safeguarding Healthcare, Dr David Rankin presents Dr Leigh Haysom, the Clinical Director of Adolescent Health and Director of Medical Services for NSW’s Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, with this difficult scenario. Dr Haysom offers insights into the complexities of mana...

In this episode of ‘Safeguarding Healthcare – the Essentials of Clinical Governance’, host Dr David Rankin interviews Professor Andrew Johnson from James Cook University, a veteran medical administrator now working as a consultant. They dissect the importance of measuring improvement effectively and addressing risk tolerance within the hospital system. Prof. Johnson suggests a shift in focus towards understanding and managing compl...

In this episode of "Safeguarding Healthcare – the Essentials of Clinical Governance," Dr. Liz Mullins, the Director of Medical Services for Bega Valley Health Service, discusses engaging surgical staff in quarterly specialist craft group meetings with host Dr David Rankin. They address issues of relevance, consultation and the importance of mutual benefit. Dr. Mullins emphasizes the need for proactive engagement, personalized commu...

What does a medical administrator do when a patient who suffers complications from surgery complains that they weren’t warned? In this episode of Safeguarding Healthcare, Dr David Rankin delves into the intricate world of informed consent with Dr Tony Sara, who is a Medical Advisor at South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, President of the Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation and a fellow of the Australian Institut...

What does a medical administrator do when an aging, small town local doctor, in a region with medical staff shortage, starts to get too tired and makes mistakes? In this episode of Safeguarding Healthcare, host Dr David Rankin is in discussion with Associate Professor Kathleen Atkinson. Kath is a very senior clinician and medical administrator with over 35 years’ experience as a rural generalist. She has held health leadership, med...

What are the best approaches to being an effective medical department manager — even if you come to the job reluctantly? In this episode of Safeguarding Healthcare, host Dr David Rankin speaks with Dr Simon Collins about the challenges faced by medical department heads, focusing on a hypothetical scenario involving tensions between emergency and anaesthetic departments.

The episode covers issues like ensuring safe coverage, managi...

When an inpatient takes his own life, it sparks myriad issues and concerns for any medical administrator. In this episode, Dr David Rankin and Dr Nick O'Connor explore the challenges of medical administration in this tragic scenario, through the lens of the restorative justice approach.

Dr O’Connor is the Clinical Lead of the Mental Health Patient Safety Program for the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission. He is a psychiatrist with...

How would a seasoned medical administrator handle a doctor whose eyesight is failing? In this episode of Safeguarding Healthcare Dr David Rankin delves into the complex world of medical administration with the Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Acting Director of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Western Health, Dr Rupert Sherwood.

Dr Sherwood is presented with the challenges and dilemmas raised by a scenario involving a seasoned gyna...

In this episode of Safeguarding Healthcare, we look at what would happen in a hospital when a newborn dies after a mother and midwife choose to ignore hospital protocols. Host and veteran medical administrator Dr David Rankin presents a senior NSW Health Ministry medical advisor, Dr Paul Douglas, with this hot-button scenario, in a medical landscape where patients are demanding more say in their care.

Dive into the heart of the ma...

In this episode of Safeguarding Healthcare, seasoned medical administrator Professor Gavin Frost and host Dr David Rankin discuss the complex scenario of a young, enthusiastic surgeon who is proposing a novel technique for pediatric diabetes management. They discuss the challenges, considerations, and stakeholder involvement necessary for such a venture, from the importance of research and evidence to engaging with various professi...

In this episode, another senior medical administrator is confronted with a challenging scenario: how to address high hospital-acquired infection rates. Clinical governance veteran Dr David Rankin speaks with Dr Peter Lowthian, who has worked as a Director of Medical Services and who currently serves on the boards of a large private hospital and the Australasian Cardiac Surgery Research Institution.

The two discuss infection issues...

In this episode of Safeguarding Healthcare, we take a deep dive into the world of healthcare audits, their benefits, and pitfalls. Clinical governance veteran Dr David Rankin speaks with Brigadier Dr Darrell Duncan, a highly experienced administrator who is currently responsible for reviewing the standards of care provided to members of the Australian Defence Force.

Dr Duncan emphasizes the need to shift from compliance-focused au...

Let veteran medical administrator Dr David Rankin be your guide through another minefield, as he challenges a senior hospital medical administrator with a staffing situation that threatens to impact patient safety. Dr Rankin explores a complex scenario involving an aging senior surgeon with Professor Alan Sandford AM, the Director of Medical Academic Development – Regional Medical Pathway, Central Queensland & Wide Bay Hospital...

What should administrators do and what’s best for the patient and the hospital when a terrible mistake takes place? In this episode of "Safeguarding Healthcare”, Dr. David Rankin hosts Dr. Helen Parsons, the District Director Medical Services for the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, as they delve into a nightmare scenario – a wrong-site surgery. Learn about the protocols, patient safety, ethics and legal consequences th...

Step behind hospital doors and explore the intricate world of patient safety with “Safeguarding Healthcare – the Essentials of Clinical Governance”. In each episode, veteran hospital administrator Dr David Rankin puts senior hospital officials in the hot seat, challenging them with difficult hypotheticals. Delve into the most contentious issues in modern medicine, from patient consent dilemmas to advancements in healthcare technolo...