Colac Area Health: You won't believe what medical staff were asked to do inside this hospital during a health minister's visit

Ten unit members posed arsenic clone patients at a location hospital to dress it was busier during a sojourn from nan wellness minister.

An investigation by nan Health Department confirmed Colac Area Health had patient unit registered arsenic patients successful nan Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) erstwhile Victoria's Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas visited connected August 9, 2023.

An investigation into nan saga confirmed that immoderate aesculapian unit were sitting successful nan waiting room while others were successful beds, meantime 1 occupied a trolley successful nan backmost corridor. 

At slightest 1 unit personnel besides arrived by ambulance and was triaged despite not requiring aesculapian treatment.

It was recovered that location was a existent anticipation diligent attraction could person been impacted but worldly resources were not recovered to person been diverted distant from genuine request astatine nan time.

The Department of Health published nan findings successful a study which was sighted by Daily Mail Australia connected Wednesday morning.

'The Investigator was satisfied connected nan ground of nan disposable accusation that each of those actions were taken successful bid to make it look to nan Minister that nan UCC was busier than it really was connected nan time of nan visit,' nan executive summary said. 

'Each of those individuals were registered arsenic patients successful nan UCC’s intake strategy anterior to nan Minister arriving and their registrations were cancelled and nan patients near nan UCC aft nan Minister departed, without immoderate curen being administered.

'The unit moving successful nan UCC that time were mostly aware, aliases soon became aware, that nan patients presenting to nan UCC did not require aesculapian treatment, and they mostly directed their attraction connected treating those patients who did require aesculapian care.' 

The investigation recovered that unit members went along went on pinch what was happening nether the apparent belief it was what Colac Area Health expected of them and won't beryllium disciplined. 

Wise Workplace Solutions and nan section agreed that putting nan wellness of imaginable patients astatine consequence was 'incredibly disappointing and wholly inappropriate'.

The section does not person authority to return employment action against them but nan wellness work has been asked to reappraisal grounds and find if those progressive successful organising nan incident should person further counselling, training aliases look disciplinary action. 

Colac Area Health, which has accepted nan recommendations, has been asked to convey nan seriousness of what occurred to their unit and promote them to speak up astir unethical decisions successful nan workplace. 

The incident was first raised by a whistleblower who brought nan allegations to nan Victorian Public Sector Commission.

Ambulance Victoria's soul investigation into nan engagement of nan ambulance is underway.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Colac Area Health for comment.