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Health NZ’s clinical director and an independent reviewer speak to the media about discoveries.
A review found that an 11 -year -old girl confused with a 20 -year -old boy was admitted to a mental health ward, although some hospital staff initially observed that “he looked like a child and may have a disability.”
Health NZ released the findings of its review after the child was confused with a mental health patient in Hamilton last month.
The autistic, nonverbal girl was handcuffed, admitted to Henry Bennett Center of Waikato Hospital, and medicated after she was seen climbing a bridge.
A five -person review panel found the police to identify it badly, and the hospital accepted this because “it is common for the police to confirm the patient’s identity.”
She was contained and received two doses of interplay drugs because she refused oral medication, he said.
Photo: Hospital Supplied/ Waikato
The drug used was “rarely administered to children” and not the first line option for adults – but was given due to the shortage of supply.
New Zealand’s clinical director of health, Dr. Richard Sullivan, told the media “there are other more appropriate drugs for children” and as far as he knew, there were no lasting effects.
“The medication is used to helping to calm people and therefore, in this circumstance they would have been calm, would be sleepy.”
There was no cultural support offered to the girl, and the disability was not considered beyond the initial assessment, the reviewers discovered.
The fact that it was not admitted to the emergency department was described as a “missed opportunity”, which could have led to a different diagnosis.
Rapid Incid -Review Review said “various flaws” contributed to the suffering and trauma experienced by the young man and his family.
It was publicly launched after the panel spent a week reviewing clinical and relevant Waikato’s political records and procedures, interviewing relevant staff, talking to an external review panel and the 11 -year -old’s family.
Eight recommendations made
The panel made eight recommendations, including an apology to the girl and her family.
He recommended a rapid revision of international best practices to identify unidentified patients, “particularly for people with any kind of communication difficulty,” to create a national policy.
“This should be done in collaboration with cultural and disabled services and consultation with the police.”
Health New Zealand Chief Clinical Dr. Richard Sullivan.
Photo: RNZ / CALVIN SAMUEL
He recommended that all emergency departments perform medical reviews on all unidentified patients and that a national restriction group is established “to specifically develop best practices for physical restriction, medicine restrictions, monitoring after sedation, climbing processes and team training.”
“The scope of the work of this group should include the development of a verification list for evaluation before the restriction of medicines and procedures to monitor vital signs after sedation in mental health units.”
He recommended that Health NZ revise its criteria and admission procedures for admission to psychiatric intensive care units, which analyzes the workforce resources in the district mental health unit, ensures that cultural support is offered to mental health patients as soon as possible in the admission process.
He recommended that cultural and disabled services are involved “in the action of relevant recommendations.”
These recommendations will be converted into an action plan with clear deliveries and schedules within a week, according to the report.
Health NZ Response
In a statement, New Zealand’s clinical director of health, Dr. Richard Sullivan, said the team strives to provide high standards of care and wanted to ensure that this incident would not happen again.
“We recognize this young man and his family’s anguish. We continue to provide proper and continuous support,” he said.
“We accepted the entire revision of the findings. The review team included several senior doctors of the Health NZ, as well as a panel of NZ Health experts who were extensively involved in the revision and supply of feedback.”
Previously, the interim superintendent of Waikato district commander Scott Gemell told RNZ “the identification was from a primary concern” when police took the girl to Waikato Hospital.
“We took a picture of her and distributed it to our team on one of our distribution lists.
“One of our teams came back with the indication of a person who lived in a community -based mental health center, approaching the Fairfeld Bridge.”
Police talked to a caregiver and sent a copy of this photography for identification purposes, he said.
“We did this and the caregiver came back to say that he thought it was that person too.
“Based on this knowledge, we entered the Emergency Department of Hospital Waikato and, based on these information we need to deliver, we believed it was someone else.”
Gemmell said the 20 -year -old woman was not in a mental health center at the time of the incident.
At around 6 pm that night, a woman reported her 11 -year -old daughter missing and a team member recognized her when the female attended to the bridge.
Police discoveries disclosed
Waikato police also released the conclusions of their internal district review, concluding that it was reasonable for police to stop and put handcuffs on the girl.
The review found that the police responded promptly and with “appropriate urgency” to the initial connection on a woman in the middle of the road and later in the bars of Fairfield Bridge.
He found that the decision to stop the girl’s law under mental health (mandatory assessment and treatment) was appropriate “, given his genuine concerns about the patient’s safety and good to be.”
It was “reasonable” for the police to put handcuffs on it upon arrival at Waikato Hospital “to protect their own safety and the safety of the team,” according to the review.
Police misunderstanding her, although “genuine attempts to confirm her identity,” he found, and “promptly reported the Waikato Hospital of the erroneous identification” when he became apparent later that day.
In a statement, assistant commissioner Sandra Venables said there was a broader review in progress, which was still in the information collection phase.
“We acknowledged that the events were distressing to the patient and his family. Waikato police met his family and apologized for incorrect identification,” she said.
“What we know at this stage is that incorrect identification has occurred, despite our team’s genuine efforts to identify the female. However, we also know that our processes can be improved to further reduce the risk of an incident like this applicant.”
The incident was also sent to the IPCA.
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