Patient safety and medical indemnity in Australia

You win some, you lose some ...

Groups related to this event

Centre for Health Informatics
Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research
Centre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science

Event date

Thursday, 4 December 2014

The Professional Indemnity Review was established in 1991 by the then Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister, the Hon Brian Howe to look at the rising costs of medical indemnity premiums and to look at the incidence of preventable harm to patients. The Review commissioned the Quality in Australian Health Care Study, which showed a surprisingly high level of preventable harm being done to patients in Australian hospitals. It also analysed the financial situation of the medical indemnity industry at the time and concluded that rising premiums had more to do with long term inadequate funding of liabilities than the avaricious actions of a new generation of ungrateful patients. The Review made around 160 recommendations for action to address the issues identified - some have been implemented, but many remain undone. It's 19 years since the Quality in Australian Health Care Study was published in the MJA and almost as long since the Final Report of the Professional Indemnity Review was released. Fiona will be taking a selected wander through that period, reflecting on the experience of the Review and what came afterwards.

Speaker profile

Fiona Tito Wheatland was the Chair of the Commonwealth Government's Professional Indemnity Review between 1991-1995. The work on medical indemnity and "adverse events" was recognised as seminal but as Fiona said "It was terminal to my public service career." Finishing the review saw her become involved very soon after in the medical care of her dying father. What she saw in the work of the review and in that experience, motivated her to become involved in consumer and carer advocacy and patient safety at the hospital, State/Territory and National level. It finally drove her to undertaking a PhD at ANU on what she saw as glacially slow action to address a burningly important issue. It drives her current passion for the education and training of doctors.

Where: Seminar Room Level 1, 75 Talavera Rd, Macquarie University (map reference)

When: Thursday 4 December, 2014

Time: 10am-11am

Cost: Free

Contact: jackie.mullins@mq.edu.au or call 9850 2407