Three nurses who are suspects in a police homicide inquiry are still employed by Counties Manukau District Health Board. A coroner’s inquest into the death of Auckland woman Heather Bills wrapped up in the Auckland District Court on Friday. Bills died in 2013 while in the care of Middlemore Hospital, having survived an explosive fire at her Ōrākei home six weeks earlier. Michele Maher, Heather Bills’ daughter, questioned witnesses at the inquest into her mother’s death. Neighbours rescued the 64-year-old from the blaze and she was admitted to hospital with serious burns. Six weeks later, however, she was dead, after suffering an irreversible brain injury caused by a large dose of insulin. The person who administered the insulin dose to Bills remains a mystery. During the inquest, police revealed they have three suspects in their own investigation, all of whom are nurses that worked on Bills’ care. Nurses who were witnesses at the inquest gave conflicting accounts of what happened the night she suffered the fatal brain injury. The inquest was also told Bills had offered to pay hospital staff to end her life. On Friday, a spokeswoman for Counties Manukau DHB confirmed it still employs all three nurses. “In 2013, when Ms Bills died, the police conducted a full investigation including interviewing the staff who had contact with Ms Bills,” the spokeswoman said. “The police investigation did not result in a prosecution of any individual. The DHB was also never advised that the police had any particular concerns about the acts or omissions of any particular individual.” Through the coronial process, the DHB had learnt for the first time that police had three suspects, and it had no proof of wrongdoing by any of those staff, the spokeswoman said. “The DHB has obligations to be a good employer in accordance with the State Services Act and must follow all the requirements of the laws protecting employees in New Zealand. “In the absence of any proof of wrongdoing, the DHB could not take action against an employee.” The spokeswoman added: “The DHB is co-operating with the coroner’s process, as it did with the police investigation. “If further information comes to light through the inquest process, or any other route, the DHB will consider that information and if appropriate will act on it.” On Wednesday, the DHB apologised over Bills’ death, and revealed it wasn’t until a number of days later that the possibility of homicide was raised. The acting chief executive of the DHB, Gloria Johnson, who was chief medical officer of the DHB when Bills died, gave evidence at the inquest. “I do want to take the opportunity to say how incredibly sorry I am, and I want to apologise on behalf of the DHB,” Johnson said to Bills’ daughter, Michelle Maher. Johnson added she still did not know how Bills came to be given the fatal dose. In recent years, there has been a spate of insulin murders in Australia. The coroner reserved her findings on Friday.
September 18, 2017
Victorian paramedics have been caught stealing and trafficking drugs with some even taking intravenous bags to treat hangovers among family and friends. An investigation revealed Ambulance Victoria paramedics in the Barwon South West region were involved in stealing and trafficking drugs, including fentanyl and morphine, the independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission said today. One paramedic was sacked, eight resigned while under investigation and six are still on the job but have received a formal warning, the commission said.
September 18, 2017
Plateau View Aged Care Pty Ltd has had its Plateau View Aged Care Pty Ltd, NSWNMA, ANMF NSW Branch and HSU New South Wales Branch Enterprise Agreement 2017 application granted.
September 18, 2017
A s.185 (Enterprise agreement) application by the Armenian Rest home Association Ltd T/A Alexander Aged Care for its Armenian Rest home Association, NSWNMA, ANMF, NSW Branch and HSU New South Wales Branch Enterprise Agreement 2017 has been approved by Commissioner Saunders in Newcastle on 15 September 2017.
September 18, 2017
Two kiddie criminals have been found hiding on a roof, after they terrorised an elderly woman in a retirement village. The boys, aged 11 and 12, were found on the roof of the Mundingburra retirement village home, following their involvement in the harassment of an elderly woman, along with two other boys. The group is accused of scaring the woman, 86, by banging on her glass door and wandering around her backyard. Police rushed to the home and quickly set up a cordon to catch the offenders, picking up two nearby, before locating the others on the roof of the Mundingburra home.
September 18, 2017
Castellorizian Aged Care Services Limited has succeeded in getting its application for its Castellorizian Aged Care Services Limited, NSWMA, ANMF NSW Branch and HSU New South Wales Branch Enterprise Agreement 2017 approved.
September 18, 2017
A s.185 (Enterprise agreement) application by St Vincent’s Private Hospitals Ltd T/A St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane for its St Vincent’s Health Australia (Private Hospitals) QLD Support Services Enterprise Agreement 2017 has been a granted by Commissioner Harper-Greenwell in Melbourne on 15 September 2017.
September 18, 2017
Workplace churn is taking a heavy toll on the Northern Territory’s remote health clinics, with about half of staff leaving after just four months on the job. Two-thirds of health staff leave remote work altogether after a single year. Monash University researcher Deborah Russell, who led the study conducted by Monash, Flinders, Macquarie, Adelaide and Sydney universities, said a lack of continuity of care had “serious implications for both patient health and staff safety” in remote clinics. “It shows extreme fragility of the remote workforce, confirming that there is a heavy reliance on agency nurses to provide primary health care in NT remote communities,” Dr Russell said. She said constantly having to recruit and train staff was a “serious drain on resources”. The study looked at staff turnover in 53 remote clinics in the Northern Territory between 2013 and 2015. Study chief investigator John Wakerman Flinders University said bolstering the workforce of Aboriginal health practitioners could go some way to solving the problem. NT Health chief nurse Heather Keighley said the department was working on stabilising the remote workforce by moving to longer contracts, reducing the reliance on agency nurses and offering more educational and leadership opportunities for staff. Nurses’ accommodation in communities will be fitted with internet capability to allow staff to stay in touch with their friends and family. Ms Keighley said ideally, turnover would be about 10 per cent each year. She said a stable workforce was more effective. Community members were better off under a stable workforce because they felt more comfortable and willing to attend health clinics, Ms Keighley said.
