Australian scientists closer to Hendra virus vaccine thanks to an alpaca named Pedro
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Nurse tells inquest of treatment she gave prisoner before his death
A prison nurse who treated a First Nations man the morning he died in a central Victorian prison has broken down in tears at his coronial inquest. This story contains the name and image of an Indigenous Australian who has died. They are used with the permission of his family. Gunditjmara and Wiradjuri man Clinton Austin, 38, was found unresponsive in his cell at Loddon Prison, near Castlemaine, on September 11 in 2022. The Coroners Court of Victoria on Friday heard nurse Ebony Kearns did not test Mr Austin's vital signs and did not make further observations after he presented to a prison clinic complaining of vomiting and diarrhoea the morning he died. Ms Kearns told the inquest this was because she believed he was "OK" considering his appearance and the nature of his complaints. "I should have been more thorough, regardless of [the] outcome," she told the court. The inquest also heard an expert report found Mr Austin's condition had warranted further observations, including heart and respiratory rate monitoring. Mr Austin was serving a three-and-a-half-year jail term for aggravated burglary and had been eligible for parole for almost one year before he died. He had an acquired brain injury from a car accident in 2018 and lived with schizophrenia. The coronial inquest resumed months after evidence was given in March and April. The inquest heard Ms Kearns could have rescheduled other appointments and administrative work to monitor Mr Austin's symptoms. A lawyer representing Mr Austin's family cross-examined Ms Kearns in relation to two statements she gave about her care of Mr Austin the day he died. One statement was completed for an internal prison database. The other statement, which was submitted to the inquest, was signed in March 2023, several months after Mr Austin's death. The court heard this statement was written with the assistance of lawyers and heavily edited. Ms Kearns was asked by a lawyer representing Mr Austin's family why it was signed in March. "I was quite fearful of this entire process," Ms Kearns said. The court also heard Ms Kearns completed a mandatory cultural competency training module online each year. But while she found that training "useful", it took about 20 to 30 minutes to complete and was often repeated. "Something in person would be better," she said. At the beginning of the inquest, Coroner Ingrid Giles ruled a doctor's report suggesting Mr Austin could have died from either sepsis or heart failure would be included as evidence. The report, written by addiction medicine specialist Nico Clark, was commissioned by lawyers representing the Austin family and submitted after the deadline. Lawyers for prison healthcare provider, GEO Healthcare, and mental health provider, Forensicare, said the findings were outside Dr Clark's area of expertise. They said the late service denied procedural fairness. More evidence will be heard from September 1-12, not including September 11, the day Mr Austin died. Inquest hearings from April heard Mr Austin was an NDIS participant but fell through a gap in disability support services before his death.
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Hobart GP Clive Stack fined $40,000 for prescribing narcotic substance without authority
A Hobart doctor has been fined $40,000 after being convicted of prescribing a narcotic substance without authority and issuing prescriptions for a restricted substance for more than two years. Clive Rohan Stack pleaded guilty to 34 charges under the Poisons Regulations 2018, including seven counts of prescribing a narcotic substance without authority and 27 charges of issuing a prescription for a restricted substance for an unauthorised purpose. The court heard in 2015, Stack — who was 54 years old — helped develop a topical treatment for patients to treat pain. At the time, Stack ran the Mount Nelson Medical Centre and worked at the Calvary Lenah Valley Hospital emergency department. "The topical treatment contained a range of medications that are considered controlled drugs … including benzodiazepines," Letitia Fox from the Department of Public Prosecutions said. The court heard during 2020 and 2021, multiple prescriptions for controlled substances were written out by Stack labelled "for lab use" and filled at a local pharmacy. Another topical treatment — containing ketamine, which has hallucinogenic properties — was also developed and administered to three patients for treatment by Stack, the court heard. In 2022, the Mount Nelson Medical Centre was raided by Tasmania Police after a tip-off by the Pharmaceutical Services Branch. Medication, computers and medical records were all confiscated. "Dr Stack ignored requirements despite being an experienced practitioner of almost 30 years, requirements he should have and indicated he was well aware of," Ms Fox said. "He engaged in a risky endeavour. "There was a real danger to the community if restricted drugs are supplied or prescribed in that they can be misused, they can be diverted, and particularly opioid-based substances and benzodiazepines carry a risk of serious injury or death if misused or overused." Defence lawyer for Stack, Fabiano Cangelosi, told the court his client is well regarded in the medical industry and was trying to help his patients who were experiencing severe and complex pain conditions. "The patient was receiving treatment with less of the addictive substance than they otherwise would get by way of a method of administration that essentially reduced the risk of misuse of the drug to nil. "And most importantly, it was ethicatious. The program that he ran was essentially a meta-analysis of how the medication faired … and it was effective in over 80 per cent of the patients that were being treated. "So that is what he was attempting to do. "Dr Stack has not practised since these charges arose. He's essentially been without an income." In sentencing, Magistrate Chris Webster said, "he's obviously well regarded as a doctor". "I accept that he might have had a noble purpose, in that what he was trying to do was discover or find a system to help patients in a difficult area," he said. "However, its a serious breach of the regulations. He should have known — and did know in fact — that these were Schedule 8 drugs and required authority for the use of them in the manner to which he used them. "His approach was somewhat lackadaisical to the dealing of serious drugs. Mr Cangelosi asked for a conviction to not be recorded, but the request was denied. Stack was fined $40,000 and ordered to pay $80.22 in court costs.
