Latest news with #FionaMcLeod
The Advertiser
17 hours ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Microscope on IVF giant over 'inexcusable' embryo error
A second embryo blunder from a major private fertility clinic has raised fresh fears about system flaws. Staff at a Monash IVF laboratory in Melbourne on Thursday transferred the wrong embryo to a woman, giving her one of her own rather than one from her partner, as they had requested. The pair is believed to be in a same-sex relationship. The company, which is based in Melbourne but has clinics around Australia, apologised to the couple and launched an internal investigation. But the Victorian Health Regulator has swooped in with its own probe of Monash IVF and how the error occurred at its Clayton site. State Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the mistake was "completely unacceptable" and the company must provide answers. "This will be quite devastating for the couple at the heart of this," she told reporters on Tuesday. "We all know that the IVF journey can be a very long, torturous one. It can be very expensive as well." In a notice to the stock market, Monash IVF said it would set up additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards. It has informed the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and insurers, declaring it expects the mix-up to fall within its insurance coverage. The company's profit guidance remains unchanged but the news sent its share price tumbling by more than 26 per cent to below 55 cents as of 3pm AEST. Monash IVF revealed in April a woman at a Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo incorrectly transferred to her because of "human error". The mistake was picked up in February after the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an extra embryo was found in storage. Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence it was an isolated incident and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead an independent review, which has now been expanded. Alex Polyakov, a fertility specialist at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital, said the latest stuff-up was also likely because of human error. He said the mistake in Melbourne was easier to make than the one in Brisbane but equally serious. "You have the couple's names on every embryo," the Genea Fertility Melbourne medical director told AAP. "It's not just the patient or the egg provider, it's also their partner. "I could see how this would happen." About one in 18 babies is born via IVF in Australia. Associate Professor Polyakov said the two transfer errors were the first he was aware of in Australia since the IVF industry began operating 40 years ago, although there have been high-profile cases in the US and Israel. He called for more vigilance and extra layers of protection but conceded no system could be made foolproof from a "black swan event". Shine Lawyers medical law Victorian practice lead Daniel Opare said alarm bells should be ringing across the industry. Known errors disclosed by Monash IVF raise questions about potential issues at other clinics that do not have the same reporting obligations, the medical negligence expert argued. He said Monash IVF could be exposed to lawsuits for failing in its duty of care to the patient, on top of breach of contract if the couple signed an agreement setting out which embryo was due to be transferred. The two separate errors disclosed by Monash IVF were "up there in terms of severity" compared to other previously known industry errors, he said, including embryos being damaged after trays were dropped in laboratories. "It's inexcusable," Mr Opare told AAP. Pink Elephants support group founder Samantha Payne was concerned about the impact on other couples undergoing IVF and called for a wider discussion about how clinics are run. "You'd be terrified if you were going through a round of IVF now," she said. A second embryo blunder from a major private fertility clinic has raised fresh fears about system flaws. Staff at a Monash IVF laboratory in Melbourne on Thursday transferred the wrong embryo to a woman, giving her one of her own rather than one from her partner, as they had requested. The pair is believed to be in a same-sex relationship. The company, which is based in Melbourne but has clinics around Australia, apologised to the couple and launched an internal investigation. But the Victorian Health Regulator has swooped in with its own probe of Monash IVF and how the error occurred at its Clayton site. State Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the mistake was "completely unacceptable" and the company must provide answers. "This will be quite devastating for the couple at the heart of this," she told reporters on Tuesday. "We all know that the IVF journey can be a very long, torturous one. It can be very expensive as well." In a notice to the stock market, Monash IVF said it would set up additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards. It has informed the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and insurers, declaring it expects the mix-up to fall within its insurance coverage. The company's profit guidance remains unchanged but the news sent its share price tumbling by more than 26 per cent to below 55 cents as of 3pm AEST. Monash IVF revealed in April a woman at a Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo incorrectly transferred to her because of "human error". The mistake was picked up in February after the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an extra embryo was found in storage. Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence it was an isolated incident and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead an independent review, which has now been expanded. Alex Polyakov, a fertility specialist at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital, said the latest stuff-up was also likely because of human error. He said the mistake in Melbourne was easier to make than the one in Brisbane but equally serious. "You have the couple's names on every embryo," the Genea Fertility Melbourne medical director told AAP. "It's not just the patient or the egg provider, it's also their partner. "I could see how this would happen." About one in 18 babies is born via IVF in Australia. Associate Professor Polyakov said the two transfer errors were the first he was aware of in Australia since the IVF industry began operating 40 years ago, although there have been high-profile cases in the US and Israel. He called for more vigilance and extra layers of protection but conceded no system could be made foolproof from a "black swan event". Shine Lawyers medical law Victorian practice lead Daniel Opare said alarm bells should be ringing across the industry. Known errors disclosed by Monash IVF raise questions about potential issues at other clinics that do not have the same reporting obligations, the medical negligence expert argued. He said Monash IVF could be exposed to lawsuits for failing in its duty of care to the patient, on top of breach of contract if the couple signed an agreement setting out which embryo was due to be transferred. The two separate errors disclosed by Monash IVF were "up there in terms of severity" compared to other previously known industry errors, he said, including embryos being damaged after trays were dropped in laboratories. "It's inexcusable," Mr Opare told AAP. Pink Elephants support group founder Samantha Payne was concerned about the impact on other couples undergoing IVF and called for a wider discussion about how clinics are run. "You'd be terrified if you were going through a round of IVF now," she said. A second embryo blunder from a major private fertility clinic has raised fresh fears about system flaws. Staff at a Monash IVF laboratory in Melbourne on Thursday transferred the wrong embryo to a woman, giving her one of her own rather than one from her partner, as they had requested. The pair is believed to be in a same-sex relationship. The company, which is based in Melbourne but has clinics around Australia, apologised to the couple and launched an internal investigation. But the Victorian Health Regulator has swooped in with its own probe of Monash IVF and how the error occurred at its Clayton site. State Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the mistake was "completely unacceptable" and the company must provide answers. "This will be quite devastating for the couple at the heart of this," she told reporters on Tuesday. "We all know that the IVF journey can be a very long, torturous one. It can be very expensive as well." In a notice to the stock market, Monash IVF said it would set up additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards. It has informed the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and insurers, declaring it expects the mix-up to fall within its insurance coverage. The company's profit guidance remains unchanged but the news sent its share price tumbling by more than 26 per cent to below 55 cents as of 3pm AEST. Monash IVF revealed in April a woman at a Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo incorrectly transferred to her because of "human error". The mistake was picked up in February after the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an extra embryo was found in storage. Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence it was an isolated incident and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead an independent review, which has now been expanded. Alex Polyakov, a fertility specialist at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital, said the latest stuff-up was also likely because of human error. He said the mistake in Melbourne was easier to make than the one in Brisbane but equally serious. "You have the couple's names on every embryo," the Genea Fertility Melbourne medical director told AAP. "It's not just the patient or the egg provider, it's also their partner. "I could see how this would happen." About one in 18 babies is born via IVF in Australia. Associate Professor Polyakov said the two transfer errors were the first he was aware of in Australia since the IVF industry began operating 40 years ago, although there have been high-profile cases in the US and Israel. He called for more vigilance and extra layers of protection but conceded no system could be made foolproof from a "black swan event". Shine Lawyers medical law Victorian practice lead Daniel Opare said alarm bells should be ringing across the industry. Known errors disclosed by Monash IVF raise questions about potential issues at other clinics that do not have the same reporting obligations, the medical negligence expert argued. He said Monash IVF could be exposed to lawsuits for failing in its duty of care to the patient, on top of breach of contract if the couple signed an agreement setting out which embryo was due to be transferred. The two separate errors disclosed by Monash IVF were "up there in terms of severity" compared to other previously known industry errors, he said, including embryos being damaged after trays were dropped in laboratories. "It's inexcusable," Mr Opare told AAP. Pink Elephants support group founder Samantha Payne was concerned about the impact on other couples undergoing IVF and called for a wider discussion about how clinics are run. "You'd be terrified if you were going through a round of IVF now," she said. A second embryo blunder from a major private fertility clinic has raised fresh fears about system flaws. Staff at a Monash IVF laboratory in Melbourne on Thursday transferred the wrong embryo to a woman, giving her one of her own rather than one from her partner, as they had requested. The pair is believed to be in a same-sex relationship. The company, which is based in Melbourne but has clinics around Australia, apologised to the couple and launched an internal investigation. But the Victorian Health Regulator has swooped in with its own probe of Monash IVF and how the error occurred at its Clayton site. State Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the mistake was "completely unacceptable" and the company must provide answers. "This will be quite devastating for the couple at the heart of this," she told reporters on Tuesday. "We all know that the IVF journey can be a very long, torturous one. It can be very expensive as well." In a notice to the stock market, Monash IVF said it would set up additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards. It has informed the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and insurers, declaring it expects the mix-up to fall within its insurance coverage. The company's profit guidance remains unchanged but the news sent its share price tumbling by more than 26 per cent to below 55 cents as of 3pm AEST. Monash IVF revealed in April a woman at a Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo incorrectly transferred to her because of "human error". The mistake was picked up in February after the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an extra embryo was found in storage. Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence it was an isolated incident and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead an independent review, which has now been expanded. Alex Polyakov, a fertility specialist at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital, said the latest stuff-up was also likely because of human error. He said the mistake in Melbourne was easier to make than the one in Brisbane but equally serious. "You have the couple's names on every embryo," the Genea Fertility Melbourne medical director told AAP. "It's not just the patient or the egg provider, it's also their partner. "I could see how this would happen." About one in 18 babies is born via IVF in Australia. Associate Professor Polyakov said the two transfer errors were the first he was aware of in Australia since the IVF industry began operating 40 years ago, although there have been high-profile cases in the US and Israel. He called for more vigilance and extra layers of protection but conceded no system could be made foolproof from a "black swan event". Shine Lawyers medical law Victorian practice lead Daniel Opare said alarm bells should be ringing across the industry. Known errors disclosed by Monash IVF raise questions about potential issues at other clinics that do not have the same reporting obligations, the medical negligence expert argued. He said Monash IVF could be exposed to lawsuits for failing in its duty of care to the patient, on top of breach of contract if the couple signed an agreement setting out which embryo was due to be transferred. The two separate errors disclosed by Monash IVF were "up there in terms of severity" compared to other previously known industry errors, he said, including embryos being damaged after trays were dropped in laboratories. "It's inexcusable," Mr Opare told AAP. Pink Elephants support group founder Samantha Payne was concerned about the impact on other couples undergoing IVF and called for a wider discussion about how clinics are run. "You'd be terrified if you were going through a round of IVF now," she said.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Monash IVF admits second bungled embryo implant this time at Melbourne clinic
A second bungled embryo implant at Monash IVF has sparked a new investigation, and the expansion of a review into the first incident, which led to a woman unknowingly giving birth to a stranger's baby. Monash IVF said in a statement on Tuesday that on 5 June 'a patient's own embryo was incorrectly transferred to that patient, contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient's partner'. 'Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,' the fertility company said. The first error was announced in April. In that case, a patient at one of its Brisbane clinics had an embryo incorrectly transferred to her, meaning she gave birth to a child of an unrelated woman. The mistake was blamed on human error. Monash IVF asked senior counsel Fiona McLeod to investigate. Lawyers described the incident as a legal and ethical nightmare while Monash IVF said it was confident it was an isolated incident. The latest incident happened in a Melbourne laboratory in Clayton. Monash IVF said it was 'conducting an internal investigation into the incident'. The company also 'extended the scope of the independent review' being conducted by McLeod. It further said on Tuesday it would put extra verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards in place 'over and above normal practice and electronic witness systems, to ensure patients and clinicians have every confidence in its processes'. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Whilst industry-leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remains instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required,' the statement to the ASX said. Monash IVF also notified assisted reproductive technology regulators and its insurers.
West Australian
a day ago
- Business
- West Australian
Monash IVF admits to mistake after wrong embryo implanted
Fertility treatment company Monash IVF has admitted to a second IVF mistake, again putting the wrong embryo into a patient. The latest incident happened on June 5 at the company's Clayton clinic in Melbourne's southeast. 'A patient's own embryo was incorrectly transferred to that patient, contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient's partner,' Monash IVF said in a statement to the ASX on Tuesday. 'Monash IVF is conducting an internal investigation into the incident. 'Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,' the statement reads. In 2023, Monash IVF staff in Brisbane mistakenly implanted the wrong embryo into another woman; the recipient of the embryo gave birth to the child. Monash IVF reported this incident to authorities and news of the error broke in April this year. Victorian barrister Fiona McLeod is running an independent review into the Brisbane incident. Ms McLeod's investigation is being widened, Tuesday's announcement says. '(Monash IVF) has also extended the scope of the independent review … noting that the different incidents occurred some years apart. Monash IVF will provide an update on the findings of the expanded review in due course,' the statement reads. The company said checks and balances were also being improved 'commencing immediately'. 'Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice and electronic witness systems, to ensure patients and clinicians have every confidence in its process,' the statement read. 'Whilst industry leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remains instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required.' Monash IVF alerted the regulators to the incident, the company said. More to come
West Australian
a day ago
- Business
- West Australian
Monash IVF confirms second embryo transfer mishap in statement to ASX, additional safeguards to be introduced
Monash IVF Group has been forced to disclose another incident in which they transferred the wrong embryo into a woman, just months after a similar incident was exposed. In a statement released to the ASX on Tuesday, Monash Group advised the incident involved transferring a patient's own embryo to her, instead of inserting the embryo of her same-sex partner. The Melbourne-based woman is now being supported by the reproductive giant. 'Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,' it said in a statement. In a statement to the ASX, Monash IVF said the incident is being investigated and the company and safeguards are being introduced. 'Commencing immediately, Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice,' Monash IVF Group said in their statement. Two months ago, the fertility specialists were forced to admit they had mixed up the delivery of embryos at their Brisbane centre and a woman had given birth to a strangers baby. 'Monash IVF is conducting an internal investigation into the incident. It has also extended the scope of the independent review being conducted by Fiona McLeod AO SC in relation to the Brisbane incident, noting that the different incidents occurred some years apart.,' the statement added. 'Whilst industry-leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remain instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required. 'Monash IVF has disclosed the incident to the relevant assisted reproductive technology ART regulators, namely the Reproduction Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and Victorian Health Regulator. 'In addition, Monash IVF has notified it's insurers and expects the incident to fall within the scope of its insurance coverage,' the company noted. The Brisbane incident involved a woman who gave birth to another couple's child after being implanted with the wrong embryo by Monash IVF. The error was discovered in February, when the couple requested that their remaining embryos be transferred to another provider. It is understood that the child, conceived through IVF in early 2023, is now a toddler. While the case was described as the first of its kind in Australia, US lawyer Adam Wolf, who has represented numerous families affected by IVF mix-ups, stated at the time he believed it was unlikely to be an isolated event. Shares in Monash IVF have plummeted off news of the second major procedure bungle, dropping 21 per cent and settling at 58c, which is their lowest value since November 2020.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Business
- Perth Now
‘Own embryo': Horror IVF incident
Fertility treatment company Monash IVF has admitted to a second IVF mistake, again putting the wrong embryo into a patient. The latest incident happened on June 5 at the company's Clayton clinic in Melbourne's southeast. 'A patient's own embryo was incorrectly transferred to that patient, contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient's partner,' Monash IVF said in a statement to the ASX on Tuesday. Monash IVF has clinics across the country. 9News Credit: Supplied 'Monash IVF is conducting an internal investigation into the incident. 'Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,' the statement reads. In 2023, Monash IVF staff in Brisbane mistakenly implanted the wrong embryo into another woman; the recipient of the embryo gave birth to the child. Monash IVF reported this incident to authorities and news of the error broke in April this year. Victorian barrister Fiona McLeod is running an independent review into the Brisbane incident. Ms McLeod's investigation is being widened, Tuesday's announcement says. '(Monash IVF) has also extended the scope of the independent review … noting that the different incidents occurred some years apart. Monash IVF will provide an update on the findings of the expanded review in due course,' the statement reads. The company said checks and balances were also being improved 'commencing immediately'. 'Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice and electronic witness systems, to ensure patients and clinicians have every confidence in its process,' the statement read. 'Whilst industry leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remains instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required.' Monash IVF alerted the regulators to the incident, the company said. More to come
