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The NSW government is investigating what options it can enforce under a contract that locks the state’s ambulance fleet into using error-plagued defibrillators for a further six years.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has temporarily banned the corpuls3 and corpuls3T defibrillators from sale while they investigate reports the devices unexpectedly shut down and reboot during use.
The government has maintained that the devices are safe for use and that the TGA’s advice had “no current impact” on operations.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has now said the government is “having a look at the contract in relation to enforceability”, as it was not due to be put out to tender for another six years.
He told budget estimates on Thursday that the TGA had not indicated they planned to recall the devices, but said he was concerned about the issues raised and would “have a look at the contract and what options there are for us”.
“When a company goes into contract with us and we provide them with taxpayers’ money, then they have to provide a service that meets that. I’m concerned that a number of paramedics have said to me that the device is not doing that now.”
An Australian Paramedics Association survey found 96 per cent of respondents had experienced problems or fault with the corpuls device, and half (48 per cent) said it could have affected patient care.
Western Local Health District, which encompasses the regional centres of Bathurst and Orange, has also pulled the devices from hospitals.
A NSW Health spokesperson confirmed the devices had been removed in a statement earlier this month: “Following discussions with clinicians and due to other local factors, the district made a proactive decision to revert to the use of alternative, fit for purpose equipment already available to the LHD while further review is undertaken.”
The devices are used in about a third of the state’s local health districts, a senior NSW Health official told budget estimates, as well as in about 1600 ambulances across the state.
NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce said her department had begun extensive contingency planning, and was considering the supply and availability of other devices on the market.
“It’s incumbent upon us to be prepared for a worst-case scenario with respect to a TGA-ordered withdrawal of those devices … we can’t continue on as though that’s not a possibility,” she said.
NSW Health Deputy Secretary Matthew Daly said there would not be a procurement lag, as the department had identified appropriate devices from suppliers in the US, which could be directly freighted: “We could move very quickly.”
Pearce said the TGA had not indicated a recall was likely, but if one happened the department had been assured it would not be rushed: “An abrupt withdrawal would be very dangerous.”
“[The] health system would require time … to properly roll out any new device.”
Australian Paramedics Association NSW president Brett Simpson said the most time-consuming part of the rollout would be training paramedics in a new device.
“That process, even at an expedited rate, would potentially be taking up to 18 months to two years,” he said.
“That’s why we’ve been calling on the government from the very beginning of this crisis to act swiftly and act decisively. I’m happy to see that there is some movement, however, we would still like to see some really firm statements from the government around a decision.”
A NSW Health spokesperson said it “is reviewing the use of the devices across our services and working through any concerns that have been raised”.
Dr Nicholas Spooner, president of the NSW branch of the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation, said patient and staff safety must come first.
“Any reports of potentially unreliable equipment being used in our hospitals are concerning. We want NSW Health to be transparent with clinicians about the extent of the issue, what action has been taken across affected LHDs, and what is being done to ensure doctors have access to safe and reliable equipment,” he said.
“Doctors should be able to focus on treating their patients, not worrying about whether the equipment they have been given will work when they need it to.”
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Amelia Ballinger is a Walkley Award-winning journalist and TV producer. A former foreign correspondent, she has covered major stories around the globe and has a particular interest in investigations.Connect via email.
Liam Mannix is an investigative journalist at The Age. Before that, he was national science reporter for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.
Contact him via email or Signal (encrypted) liammannix.18
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