Victorian hospital delays in triaging 150 critical referrals lead to patient deaths
Consensus Summary
Two articles from TheAge and ABC report that Mildura Base Public Hospital in Victoria left 150 critical patient referrals untriaged for up to 16 months, leading to at least one patient death and another receiving a terminal diagnosis. The delays involved patients needing urgent cancer diagnostics and treatments, with some referrals sent in December 2024 and not processed until April this year. Both sources confirm the hospital relies on outdated paper records despite calls for digital upgrades for more than a decade. The hospital reported the failures to Safer Care Victoria and is investigating, while the state government has committed to rolling out electronic medical records across Victoria. TheAge notes the hospital was previously under private management until 2020 and highlights longer wait times for specialist care, while ABC emphasizes the dangers of the paper system and the need for urgent digital upgrades. Both agree the failures are part of a broader issue in regional hospitals, with patients suffering due to outdated processes.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- 150 critical hospital referrals were left untriaged for up to 16 months at Mildura Base Public Hospital
- A cancer patient died and another received a terminal diagnosis due to delays in triaging referrals
- Mildura Base Public Hospital reported the failures to Safer Care Victoria and is conducting its own investigation
- The hospital still relies on paper records and manual sorting despite calls for digital upgrades for more than a decade
- Some referrals were sent to the hospital in December 2024 and not triaged until April this year
- One patient waited 17 months for a specialist appointment for suspected cancer
- The hospital was operated under a private management contract with Ramsay Health until 2020, when it was taken over by the state Labor government
- The hospital has committed to transitioning from paper-based referrals to an electronic system, with the project ongoing
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The delays involved patients needing colonoscopies, diagnostic tests, and treatment for confirmed skin cancers
- A patient waited almost five months to access an initial specialist clinic appointment for melanoma removal
- The hospital’s latest annual report mentioned a project to transition from paper-based referrals to an electronic system, estimated to cost around $70 million for the Loddon Mallee region
- The statewide median wait time for a routine first appointment is 58 days, while the median wait time for urgent first appointments at specialist clinics is 16 days
- The hospital has 16 main specialist and outpatient clinic services, including general medicine, oncology, and infectious diseases
- The state government announced plans in May to create regional waiting lists, shift appointments from doctors to nurses, and use AI to flag urgent cases
- A Department of Health report found Victorians were waiting up to four years to access specialist care at public hospitals
- A medical student at the hospital described the paper system as 'dangerous' and said doctors struggle to read handwritten notes
- The hospital committed in 2023 to digitizing 200,000 patient records over four years at a cost of $14 million, but inpatient records remain undigitized
- The state government stated the rollout of electronic medical records (EMRs) in all Victorian hospitals was underway in 2024
- A Horsham woman, Penny Flynn, lost confidence in the system due to missed health information and now creates her own folders to manage records
- The Australian Medical Association Victorian president, Simon Judkins, said regional and rural areas 'really need to get up to speed' on digital upgrades
- Law Partners senior managing solicitor Michael Passaro called for a 'thorough and transparent' investigation into the failures
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- TheAge states the hospital was taken over by the state Labor government in 2020, while ABC does not mention this specific detail
- TheAge mentions a $70 million estimated cost for upgrading systems in the Loddon Mallee region, while ABC states the digitization project for 200,000 records cost $14 million
- TheAge reports a patient waited 17 months for a specialist appointment, while ABC states up to 150 patients were left waiting for care for longer than a year without specifying exact durations
Source Articles
Cancer patient dies after 150 critical hospital referrals left in boxes for 16 months
An investigation is under way after more than 150 referrals were forgotten in cardboard boxes, leading to potentially catastrophic delays for cancer patients.
Forgotten referral led to patient's death, Victorian shadow minister says
A Mildura hospital that relies on paper records is undertaking a review after reports of fatal delays in patient triage.
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