Medical negligence

• Calls for birth trauma injuries to be addressed across Australia

  29th May 2024

  All Australian states and territories should fund the resources needed to better address the risks and consequences of birth trauma, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance, following the NSW Select Committee on Birth Trauma releasing its recommendations today.

• Tighter regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures welcome

  5th Sep 2023

  Lawyers welcome Ahpra’s move, announced today, to increase regulation of the non-surgical cosmetic procedures industry, and introduce new guidelines for health practitioners advertising and providing fillers, Botox injections and other aesthetic treatments.

• Maternal death – a preventable tragedy

  27th Oct 2022

  Expert witness Denise Donaldson provides a comprehensive overview of a recent medical negligence case from a clinical midwife’s point of view, detailing the series of enormous errors that ‘set in motion the catastrophic chain of events’.

• Cosmetic surgery advertising concerns remain despite release of review report

  1st Sep 2022

  The recommendations made as a result of Ahpra and the Medical Board of Australia's review of the cosmetic surgery industry are not strong enough to improve patient safety quickly, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

   

• Traumatic birth experience leads to avoidable injury

  3rd Feb 2022

  It is important for women to know that birth-related injuries are common, they are sometimes preventable, and legal advice should be sought before the time to bring a claim passes, writes Jyoti Haikerwal, a lawyer at Brave Legal and volunteer with the Australasian Birth Trauma Association.

• Investment in rural and regional health services will save lives and money

  3rd Dec 2021

  Increased investment in health services in rural and regional NSW will prevent deaths and injuries caused by under-resourcing, lack of staff and systemic failures, and will reduce the burden of medical negligence claims, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Hunter left out of regional and rural health inquiry

  29th Apr 2021

  Hunter based health lawyer and Australian Lawyers’ Alliance (ALA) NSW spokesperson on health, Catherine Henry, is disappointed that the parliamentary inquiry brought on by the crisis in regional and rural health will not hold a hearing in the Hunter.

• Language barriers, informed consent and interpreters in medical care

  16th Aug 2018

  The pitfalls that occur when patients and healthcare providers are unable to understand each other due to language barriers, and what can and should be done in such situations to facilitate communication. 

• Implementation of the Paramedicine Board of Australia

  19th Jul 2018

  From September 2018, all paramedics across the country will be required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and complaints referred to the newly created Paramedicine Board, aiming to ensure the safety of the public from fake paramedics. Up until now there was no national standard for registration.

• The Urogynaecological Mesh scandal

  7th Sep 2017

  Approximately 50% of women who have had children will suffer some degree of pelvic organ prolapse. For thousands of those women, urogynaecological surgical mesh has been presented as a viable option. It is only recently that public has been made aware of the associated physical and psychological complications. 

• How the chemotherapy under dosing highlights a lack of compassion

  14th Jul 2016

  The recent chemotherapy under dosing bungle in two South Australian hospitals has highlighted significant flaws in the way that victims of medical negligence are often treated. This is particularly concerning as the hospitals involved are publicly funded and have a mandated policy of open disclosure specifically for situations like this.

• Systemic failures to blame for infant deaths at Bacchus Marsh Hospital

  20th Nov 2015

  Paula Shelton investigates the factors that lead to substandard medical care, injury and death. 

• Cosmetic vs plastic surgery

  13th Nov 2015

  The difference between seeking cosmetic or plastic surgeon can be significant, writes barrister Ngaire Watson. 

• Medical negligence law over the past year

  10th Sep 2015

  Olamide Kowalik analyses the developments in the area of medical negligence by reference to pivotal decisions in Australia over the last 12 months.