Safeguarding Healthcare

A patient in ED dies of a catastrophic stroke after what seems like delays in clinical treatment. What should a medical administrator do? Dr Liz Mullins, Director of Medical Services, Bega Valley Health Service at Southern NSW Local Health District, joins our host, Dr David Rankin, to explore the complexities of medical administration following a patient death. Through the lens of a delayed TIA review, they examine how structu...

A surgical tool breaks mid-operation, and a piece of metal is left inside a patient’s knee bone. What would you do? Safeguarding Healthcare host Dr David Rankin presents this complex real-world scenario to seasoned medical administrator Dr Brett Gardiner for his views on how this problem could be solved. Together, they look at the medico-legal, patient safety and organisational implications of such an incident, offering insig...

A preventable burn, a missed disclosure, and a patient on the brink of legal action — what happens when clinical governance falls short? Our host Dr David Rankin presents a challenging scenario to Professor Mary O’Reily, Chief Medical Officer at Austin Health. Together, they unravel the clinical, systemic, and communication failures behind a surgical mishap, and offer insights into how healthcare leaders should respond ...

When a hospital’s financial gain potentially clashes with patient wellbeing, who draws the ethical line? Host Dr David Rankin is joined by experienced medical administrator Dr Emily Kirkpatrick to explore a complex ethical dilemma facing hospital executives: should a private hospital invest in an expensive spinal surgery robot with questionable clinical benefits? Together, they unpack issues of clinical variation, financial i...

Providing adequate healthcare in rural areas can be challenging enough, but what happens when local GPs have a toxic relationship with their community hospital? ‘Safeguarding Healthcare’ host Dr David Rankin discusses such a scenario with Associate Professor Rex Prahbu, the Executive Medical Director at Swan Hill District Health in rural Victoria. Together they discuss how to repair relationships and maintain patient tr...

How do hospital board members champion patient safety and good governance while dealing with complex information offered up by management? ‘Safeguarding Healthcare’ host Dr David Rankin probes this issue by presenting a difficult and thought-provoking scenario to Dr Peter Lowthian, an experienced medical administrator and board director. Together they discuss the role of the board in addressing worrying clinical trends,...

A surgeon’s outburst in the operating theatre leaves a nurse shaken, disrupting patient care and raising serious questions about workplace culture. How should medical leaders respond when bullying behaviors persist despite previous warnings? In this episode, Professor Matt Sabin, Group Director of Medical Services and Clinical Governance at Cabrini Health, joins Dr David Rankin to explore the challenges of addressing disrupti...

A serious patient injury flagged by a surgeon exposes a systemic issue with incident classification. What is a medical administrator to do? ‘Safeguarding Healthcare’ host Dr David Rankin dissects this scenario with Dr Lynette Knowles, the Medical Lead for Patient Safety and Quality at Clinical Excellence Queensland. Together they unravel the issues raised by this a preventable patient injury. They explore the challenges...

A locum emergency doctor submits a timesheet claiming excessive overtime and a conversation leads you to suspect they are suffering from mania. How can you protect patient safety while, at the same time, being compassionate and fair? In this episode, host Dr David Rankin presents this difficult scenario to Dr David Fenn, a psychiatrist who is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Director of Quality a...

A highly regarded but elderly physician isn’t exactly embracing Continued Professional Development (CPD). Should their administrator try to force the issue and teach an old dog some new tricks? The evolving requirements of CPD and the challenges faced by practitioners at the end of their careers is the focus of this discussion between ‘Safeguarding Healthcare’ host Dr David Rankin, and RACMA’s Continuing Pro...

Is shouting ever okay in the workplace? What about comments on personal appearance? And when a physician who was raised in a different age becomes the subject of complaints, what stance should a medical administrator take? ‘Safeguarding Healthcare’ host Dr David Rankin discusses this difficult scenario with Dr Jillann Farmer, the Chief Executive Officer of A Better Culture, the coalition of health professionals working ...

Addressing underperforming practitioners is one of the most difficult and complex problems a medical administrator can face. So, what would you do if patient safety was at risk, but there was political pressure involved? In this episode of ‘Safeguarding Healthcare’, host Dr David Rankin discuss this very scenario with Professor Alan Sandford, who is the Director of Medical Academic Development – Regional Medi...

A surgeon with, for many reasons, a questionable reputation comes up in a hospital’s three-yearly credentialling cycle and serious performance issues need to be addressed. What are the best steps for an administrator to follow? In this episode of “Safeguarding Healthcare,” host Dr David Rankin is joined by the Chief Medical Officer at Safer Care Victoria, Professor Andrew Wilson, to delve into the complexitie...

Test results that reveal the presence of tuberculosis are missed, and the itinerant patient has been mixing in the community for months. What would you do? In this episode, host Dr David Rankin discusses such a scenario just like this with Dr Margaret Wilsher, a respiratory physician who spent 13 years as the Chief Medical Officer at Te Toka Tumai, or Auckland City Hospital. Together they traverse the complex issue of missed test r...

What does a doctor do when a company sends them an expensive bottle of wine? Should it just be accepted? And what about being flown overseas to attend a conference? In this episode of 'Safeguarding Healthcare', host Dr David Rankin explores the complex ethics surrounding gifts and conflicts of interest in healthcare with Dr Luis Prado, the Group Director of Medical Services at St John of God Healthcare in Melbourne. From prosthetic...

Financial pressures lead to the closure of a hospital unit, angering several doctors. Soon, a journalist calls asking about the loss of a community service. What should an administrator do in such a confronting situation? In this episode of Safeguarding Healthcare, host Dr David Rankin poses this conundrum to Dr Angela Williams, the Executive Director of Medical Services, Gippsland Southern Health Service in Leongatha, Victori...

The changing nature of technology and digital transformation of healthcare may promise apparent advantages to medical administrators, but they also present some serious pitfalls. In this episode of ‘Safeguarding Healthcare’ host Dr David Rankin explores IT system issues with Dr Oliver Daly, a consultant urogynaecologist and clinical informatician. Together they discuss the complexities of implementing an electronic medi...

An accident takes place in the Emergency Department and a surgeon contracts Hepatitis B as a result. With so very many possible implications, what is the best course of action? In this episode of ‘Safeguarding Healthcare’ host Dr David Rankin discusses this difficult scenario with one of Australia’s preeminent health administrators, NSW Executive Director of Health Protection Dr Paul Douglas. Together they ta...

Doctors can be their own worst enemies. Their long hours, deep commitment, personal involvement in their work and, sometimes, a tendency to martyrdom, can give rise to serious mental and other health issues. In this episode of ‘Safeguarding Healthcare’, host Dr David Rankin presents a challenging scenario to Associate Professor Beth Kotze, the Director of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services for the Sydney Local Health Di...