Staff at a regional health clinic in Colac, Victoria posed as patients in a bid to make the centre appear busier during a ministerial visit, a department investigation has found.

Colac

Hospital staff at a regional health clinic in Colac, Victoria, were found to have posed as patients during a visit by a government minister, according to a department investigation. The inquiry revealed that Colac Area Health management instructed healthy staff members to feign illness and injuries to give the impression that the clinic was busier than it truly was. This controversial strategy was implemented last year in an attempt to mislead the visiting minister regarding the clinic's operational status.

During the minister's visit, ten staff members occupied waiting room seats, with one lying on a stretcher pretending to be injured, and another entering the clinic in an ambulance. These actions led to Ambulance Victoria conducting further investigations into the matter. Colac Area Health has since issued an apology for the incident, ensuring that patient care was not compromised. The health service is contemplating various responses, including possible counselling, training, or disciplinary actions against those involved.

The executive summary of the department's findings has been made public, while the complete report remains confidential due to the detailed identification of staff members involved. The opposition has called for the full disclosure of the investigation report in the interest of transparency. However, concerns have been raised about the propriety of releasing a document that contains detailed personal information.



Hospital staff posed as fake patients during minister visit

The visit may have been real, but the patients were fake. It's certainly not something that had ever crossed my mind that a health service would work to deceive a government minister. A health department investigation has found management at Colac Area Health directed healthy staff members to pose as sick patients during a visit by the minister last year to fool her into thinking the clinic was busier than it actually was. I don't need our health services to be staging fake patients for me to know that our health system is facing challenges. Ten fake patients occupied seats in the waiting room. One was laying down in a stretcher pretending to be injured. Another arrived at the clinic in an ambulance. Ambulance Victoria are making further investigations into this matter. In a statement, Colac Area Health apologised for the incident and stressed patient care was not impacted. Those involved could be sacked. Those next steps may well include counselling, training or indeed disciplinary action. While the findings and an executive summary have been released, the full report remains confidential. The opposition says it should be made public in the name of transparency. Let transparency rule the day and Mary-Anne Thomas can do that by releasing the report. The full report does name many staff members. It is very, very detailed. It's not appropriate that it be released publicly. Patrick Murrell for 10 News First.

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