Review panel announced following Chesterman recommendations

A senior legal practitioner has been appointed to investigate if criminal charges should be laid against doctors who have been disciplined in the past five years following the death of their patients.

Minister for Health Lawrence Springborg said Jeffery Hunter SC would review all Medical Board of Queensland (MBQ), Queensland Board of the Medical Board of Australia (QBMBA) and Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA) files where doctors had been disciplined following the death or serious bodily harm of a patient.

Mr Springborg said Mr Hunter would then determine if criminal charges should be laid and if matters should be referred to the Queensland Police Service.

“Mr Hunter’s appointment follows Richard Chesterman’s review earlier this year of a whistleblower’s allegations into medical malpractice in Queensland,” Mr Springborg said.

Mr Springborg has also appointed Dr Kim Forrester, Adjunct Professor James Houston and Professor Elizabeth Davies to examine all cases of misconduct or alleged misconduct by doctors who have been dealt with by the QBMBA or where the AHPRA has recommended disciplinary action against a doctor.

The review will determine whether the QBMBA made timely and appropriate responses to the complaints.

“We have appointed highly qualified people to provide close scrutiny of these cases,” Mr Springborg said.

“Mr Hunter will provide a report on his findings to me at the end of February.

“I look forward to the outcome of the reviews and am sure they will work to build public confidence in the health system in Queensland.”

Profiles of the four reviewers:

Mr Jeff Hunter SC

·         Mr Hunter was called to the bar in September 1987 and was appointed Senior Counsel in November 2008

·         Prior to 1989, Mr Hunter was a legal officer in Crown Law and spent two years assisting with the Fitzgerald Inquiry. He was a Crown Prosecutor and then a Senior Crown Prosecutor for the period 1989 – 1997

·         Mr Hunter joined Legal Aid as the Deputy Public Defender from 1997 – 1999

·         He joined the private bar in 1999 and now specialises in criminal law matters

Dr Jim Houston

·       Dr Houston is currently the Director of Medical Services at Greenslopes Private Hospital

·         He completed his MBBS at the University of Queensland in 1976, completed a diploma of Obstetrics in 1980 and became a fellow of the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators in 1990

Dr Kim Forrester

·         Dr Forrester is a barrister practising in the following areas of law: Coroner’s Inquests, Professional Tribunals, Medical Negligence, Guardianship and Administration, Child Protection

·         She is an Associate Professor at Bond University – Faculty of Health Science and Medicine and her PhD and Masters dissertations were about professional conduct – systems and process

·         Dr Forrester commenced her professional life as a registered nurse and was also previously appointed as Assistant Commissioner – Legal with the HQCC. She stepped down on 27 March 2009

Professor Elizabeth Davies

·         Professor Davies was the inaugural chair of the Queensland Nursing Council (1993 – 1999) and was also a member of the QNC Review Tribunal

·         She is a Professor of Nursing and in 2007 was the Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Queensland

·         In 2008, Professor Davies was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for Service to Nursing Midwifery and Community Groups

[ENDS] 19 December 2012

Media contact: Cameron Thompson 0407 585 230