Ten staff members posed as fake patients at a regional hospital to pretend it was busier during a visit from the health minister.
An investigation by the Health Department confirmed Colac Area Health had healthy staff registered as patients in the Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) when Victoria’s Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas visited on August 9, 2023.
An investigation into the saga confirmed that some medical staff were sitting in the waiting room while others were in beds, meanwhile one occupied a trolley in the back corridor.
At least one staff member also arrived by ambulance and was triaged despite not requiring medical treatment.
It was found that there was a real possibility patient care could have been impacted but material resources were not found to have been diverted away from genuine demand at the time.
Ten staff members posed as fake patients at a regional hospital to pretend it was busier during a visit from the health minister
The Department of Health published the findings in a report which was sighted by Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday morning.
‘The Investigator was satisfied on the basis of the available information that each of those actions were taken in order to make it appear to the Minister that the UCC was busier than it actually was on the day of the visit,’ the executive summary said.
‘Each of those individuals were registered as patients in the UCC’s intake system prior to the Minister arriving and their registrations were cancelled and the patients left the UCC after the Minister departed, without any treatment being administered.
‘The staff working in the UCC that day were generally aware, or soon became aware, that the patients presenting to the UCC did not require medical treatment, and they generally directed their focus on treating those patients who did require medical care.’
The investigation found that staff members went along went along with what was happening under the apparent belief it was what Colac Area Health expected of them and won’t be disciplined.
Minister Thomas (second from left) with staff at the Colac Area Health clinic during her visit
Wise Workplace Solutions and the department agreed that putting the health of potential patients at risk was ‘incredibly disappointing and entirely inappropriate’.
The department does not have authority to take employment action against them but the health service has been asked to review evidence and determine if those involved in organising the incident should have further counselling, training or face disciplinary action.
Colac Area Health, which has accepted the recommendations, has been asked to convey the seriousness of what occurred to their staff and encourage them to speak up about unethical decisions in the workplace.
The incident was first raised by a whistleblower who brought the allegations to the Victorian Public Sector Commission.
Ambulance Victoria’s internal investigation into the involvement of the ambulance is underway.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Colac Area Health for comment.