❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health regarding the care received by a 16-month-old child at Princess Margaret Hospital. The Minister responds, clarifying the child's condition and addressing concerns about bed availability and cleanliness.
AnsweredQoN 65Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PRINCESS
MARGARET HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN — FLYNN GRAY
65. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
(1) Why was it
that Flynn Gray, a 16-month-old baby who has a rare and potentially fatal
cancer and should have received chemotherapy last Tuesday at Princess Margaret
Hospital for Children, was turned away because, as the ABC news reported, a bed
could not be found for him?
(2) Why was it
that during an earlier visit to PMH, Flynn, who is at a high risk of infection,
was placed in a ward in which, again according to ABC news, the toilet was so
disgusting that a cleaner refused to clean it?
(3) Is the
minister aware of the concerns of Flynn's father, Sean, that PMH is
being neglected by this government and the duty of care to our sick children is
being sacrificed?
MARGARET HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN — FLYNN GRAY
65. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Health:
(1) Why was it
that Flynn Gray, a 16-month-old baby who has a rare and potentially fatal
cancer and should have received chemotherapy last Tuesday at Princess Margaret
Hospital for Children, was turned away because, as the ABC news reported, a bed
could not be found for him?
(2) Why was it
that during an earlier visit to PMH, Flynn, who is at a high risk of infection,
was placed in a ward in which, again according to ABC news, the toilet was so
disgusting that a cleaner refused to clean it?
(3) Is the
minister aware of the concerns of Flynn's father, Sean, that PMH is
being neglected by this government and the duty of care to our sick children is
being sacrificed?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
For a start, this child does not have cancer. The child has a condition called
polyarteritis nodosa, which is an inflammatory condition caused by immune cells
attacking the small arteries of the body and forming small nodes within the
artery—it is a bit like a string of pearls along the artery. It is a
very serious condition and one that is often fatal, because it interferes with
the blood supply to specific organs, so children can die of, for example, a
stroke or a heart attack or renal failure as a result of that condition. One of
the treatments for that condition is the use of drugs that are used in treating
cancer, hence the confusion—I can understand that the member might not
be aware that chemotherapy is used as one of the treatments for that condition.
But I make the point that the child was not there for chemotherapy for cancer.
This child had had one treatment
for this condition, and that was done in a private ward. The child needed
subsequent treatment; however, when the child came back to PMH for that
treatment, no single rooms were available. The hospital tries, where possible,
for children with conditions like this, to find a single room, but there were
no single rooms. So, during the week, because that treatment was not urgent—it
is not like cancer, where the person needs to be given therapy within a
specific space of time, so a mild delay would not have caused any change in the
medical prognosis or the condition of this child—the hospital was
trying to find the child a single room. But, as happens at Princess Margaret
Hospital, the numbers go up and down—at times the hospital is full, and
at times it might be only 70 per cent full—and, for that week, the
hospital was full. Finally, they found a bed in a two-bed room, and the child
was put into that bed. Remember, Princess Margaret Hospital has fewer than 25 per
cent single rooms. The new Perth Children's Hospital will have 75 per
cent single rooms, which is a fantastic change in the new hospital.
There was another patient in the
next bed, and there were some issues around the cleanliness of that room; and I
am happy to talk to the member off the record if the member wants to know what
they were. The hospital denies the claim that there were faeces on the walls or
around the toilet. The hospital denies the claim that the cleaner would not do
the cleaning. The cleaner has reported that she cleaned up as best she could
the problem that was there from the adjoining bed. It is a less than
satisfactory situation. For parents who have a child who has a significant
medical problem that is probably every bit as serious as cancer—it is a
very serious medical condition—that would have been very distressing to
the family, and I apologise to them on my own behalf and on behalf of the
hospital. I am not sure how it could have been avoided, looking back at the
causes; and, as I said, I will explain it to the member later. Every effort is
made by Princess Margaret Hospital to give patients the best possible outcome,
and it is unfortunate that in this case that did not occur.
For a start, this child does not have cancer. The child has a condition called
polyarteritis nodosa, which is an inflammatory condition caused by immune cells
attacking the small arteries of the body and forming small nodes within the
artery—it is a bit like a string of pearls along the artery. It is a
very serious condition and one that is often fatal, because it interferes with
the blood supply to specific organs, so children can die of, for example, a
stroke or a heart attack or renal failure as a result of that condition. One of
the treatments for that condition is the use of drugs that are used in treating
cancer, hence the confusion—I can understand that the member might not
be aware that chemotherapy is used as one of the treatments for that condition.
But I make the point that the child was not there for chemotherapy for cancer.
This child had had one treatment
for this condition, and that was done in a private ward. The child needed
subsequent treatment; however, when the child came back to PMH for that
treatment, no single rooms were available. The hospital tries, where possible,
for children with conditions like this, to find a single room, but there were
no single rooms. So, during the week, because that treatment was not urgent—it
is not like cancer, where the person needs to be given therapy within a
specific space of time, so a mild delay would not have caused any change in the
medical prognosis or the condition of this child—the hospital was
trying to find the child a single room. But, as happens at Princess Margaret
Hospital, the numbers go up and down—at times the hospital is full, and
at times it might be only 70 per cent full—and, for that week, the
hospital was full. Finally, they found a bed in a two-bed room, and the child
was put into that bed. Remember, Princess Margaret Hospital has fewer than 25 per
cent single rooms. The new Perth Children's Hospital will have 75 per
cent single rooms, which is a fantastic change in the new hospital.
There was another patient in the
next bed, and there were some issues around the cleanliness of that room; and I
am happy to talk to the member off the record if the member wants to know what
they were. The hospital denies the claim that there were faeces on the walls or
around the toilet. The hospital denies the claim that the cleaner would not do
the cleaning. The cleaner has reported that she cleaned up as best she could
the problem that was there from the adjoining bed. It is a less than
satisfactory situation. For parents who have a child who has a significant
medical problem that is probably every bit as serious as cancer—it is a
very serious medical condition—that would have been very distressing to
the family, and I apologise to them on my own behalf and on behalf of the
hospital. I am not sure how it could have been avoided, looking back at the
causes; and, as I said, I will explain it to the member later. Every effort is
made by Princess Margaret Hospital to give patients the best possible outcome,
and it is unfortunate that in this case that did not occur.
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