Staff and families had concerns about death certificates at Launceston’s general hospital. It resulted in the coroner being asked to look into 29 deaths.<\/p>\n
Margaret Joyce Binns, 82, died after a fall in her kitchen in 2020 and was identified by the Reportable Deaths Review, led by experienced health administrator Debora Picone.<\/p>\n
It investigated allegations that some cause of death certificates had been falsified by Peter Renshaw, the Launceston General Hospital’s former executive director of medical services.<\/p>\n
The review found the conduct of one staff member, understood to be Dr Renshaw, had engaged in a “repeated pattern” of acting outside the scope of Tasmanian law.<\/p>\n
Dr Renshaw has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
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Peter Renshaw’s medical registration was suspended in 2024. (Tasmanian Commission of Inquiry)<\/p>\n
The 2024 review noted that the cases were being referred to the coroner in the “interests of transparency and independent scrutiny”.<\/p>\n
Gretel Chen, appearing for the Department of Health at today’s conference in the coroner’s court, argued that any inquest into Dr Renshaw’s actions would be “futile”.<\/p>\n
She said Ms Binns’s death had initially been determined not to need reporting to the coroner and that the matter could not be reopened.<\/p>\n
“Once they’ve formed a view there is not a reportable death, jurisdiction ceases,” Ms Chen told the court.<\/p>\n
“That would open up an enormous range of cases. Anyone could report anything.”<\/p>\n
She also argued that because medical certificates were issued after death occurred, it fell outside the coroner’s scope and was irrelevant.<\/p>\n
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Leigh Mackey questioned why the coroner would not be able to comment on the issuing of a certificate in a relevant case. (ABC News: Andrew Cunningham)<\/p>\n
Coroner Leigh Mackey told the court a medical certificate was significant.<\/p>\n
“Doesn’t the coroner’s court have the capacity to be able to make comment on the issuing of a certificate on a relevant case?” Magistrate Mackey said.<\/p>\n
Ms Chen also questioned whether Ms Binns’s death, which was caused by a fall, met the criteria of a reportable death, defined as “unexpected, unnatural, or due to violence”.<\/p>\n
The hearing was adjourned without another date set. A written decision on the issue of jurisdiction is expected.<\/p>\n
Magistrate Mackey told the court that an inquest was unlikely. Instead, she was considering making “in chambers” findings about Dr Renshaw’s conduct.<\/p>\n
Health Department Secretary Dale Webster said in a statement: “Upon detailed examination of this case and relevant case law, there are some questions as to whether this was a reportable death within the definition of the Coroners Act.”<\/p>\n
MrWebster said the Department has “committed to working openly with all relevant authorities in relation to the Independent Review \u2013 Reportable Deaths and Death Reporting Processes”.<\/p>\n
Hearing comes years into investigation<\/p>\n
Dr Renshaw, who was the LGH’s clinical director from 1989 until his retirement in 2022, did not attend Wednesday’s hearing.<\/p>\n
His legal representative, Alex Darcey, noted that Dr Renshaw’s conduct had already been investigated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).<\/p>\n
AHPRA suspended Dr Renshaw’s medical registration in 2024.<\/p>\n