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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-02-17 Daily Xml
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PORT AUGUSTA AIRPORT, BABY INQUIRY

The Hon. G.M. GUNN (Stuart) (16:58): My question is to the Minister for Health. What was the outcome of the inquiry into why a Children, Youth and Women's Health Service employee left a premature baby with a stranger at the Port Augusta airport and what explanation has been provided to the government? The explanation is simple: a six day old baby who was born prematurely was left with a stranger at the Port Augusta airport on Christmas Eve last year by the Women's and Children's Hospital employee. A senior health bureaucrat, Gail Mondy, indicated that an investigation into the matter, when it was revealed on 7 January, was taking place. Can the minister update us on what is a most regrettable occurrence?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (16:59): I thank the member for his question. I agree with him that it was a most regrettable incident, and it is hard to fathom how it occurred. As I understand it (and if I leave some of the details out I am happy to get more for him), just before Christmas last year a child was born in the Women's and Children's Hospital. The parents are residents of Port Augusta. The child had a certain condition and needed help in the hospital. The baby was released back to the parents. The mother was unwell and felt that she could not fly back to Port Augusta, so she and her husband drove back and the baby was put in the care of a long-serving enrolled nurse, who took the baby back to Port Augusta by plane.

The nurse who had the baby was to be met at the airport by a nurse from the Port Augusta Hospital. For some reason the communication to arrange that had not occurred in the way it ought to have occurred. The pilot of the plane that was to go back to Adelaide—and the nurse wished to go with the pilot—said, 'We have to go.' My understanding is that the nurse was very concerned to get back home. She herself is a parent. She rang her supervisor at the Women's and Children's Hospital and said, 'What do I do? There is a woman here who is prepared to look after the child,' and for some reason—which beggars belief—the two nurses—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Deputy leader, just listen and then you might understand. The two people from the hospital between them agreed that it was reasonable to give the child to a stranger. I think this is an appalling lapse of judgment which is beyond belief. One can understand the nurse wanting to get home but, nonetheless, her duty was clear. Fortunately, the person to whom the baby was given was a teacher of some sort. She held the baby for about 10 minutes until the Port Augusta nurse arrived. There was no harm done to the child and the parents were notified.

Of course, we initiated an inquiry. I understand that the two nurses involved were stood down while the inquiry was conducted. I have not been briefed on the outcome of that inquiry but the facts are as I have given them to the honourable member. There might be additional facts of which I am not aware but it was pretty straightforward and it was a very wrong thing to do. I said to others, when it was put to me, 'If it had been someone from Mayne Security with $1 million in cash, would they have given it to someone on the plane to look after for 10 minutes?' Clearly, the answer is no and no supervisor would have said that it was okay; and to do that with a child, which is inherently more valuable than $1 million, defies imagination.

It should not have happened and I know the nurses involved are devastated by their lapse of judgment, and they will probably carry this for all their career—if they still have one. It is up to the health system to work through the appropriate disciplinary action that needs to take place. I am happy to get more detail for the honourable member.

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