Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris has been sent a reported patient complaint Canberra Hospital previously told her never existed, prompting a call from her to urgently investigate the matter.
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A Centenary Hospital for Women and Children midwife made a submission to a current Legislative Assembly inquiry into ACT's maternity services alleging vaginal examinations were at times performed without a woman's full consent.
Canberra Health Services fiercely denied the claim, labelling the midwife's claims misleading and unfair and criticising The Canberra Times story about the submission.
Ms Fitzharris recently told the Legislative Assembly she was advised by the hospital that no consumer complaint about vaginal examinations had been received.
But she was last week sent a consumer complaint circulated among midwives at the hospital in February.
"I am advised that there has been no consumer feedback that that particular issue took place," Ms Fitzharris told the Assembly on March 20.
"It is a very serious accusation and one that Canberra Health Services has said has not occurred."
Since then Ms Fitzharris, along with other members of the Legislative Assembly including opposition spokeswoman for health Vicki Dunne, have been sent an internal email detailing a consumer complaint reportedly about vaginal examinations.
The email was circulated among a significant number of midwives at the Centenary Hospital.
"Please see below feedback," the email read.
"Whilst it is hard to know what the circumstances were here with no details, I share as a timely reminder that a chaperone should be present for all exams," the email read.
"As midwives I know you advocate for women strongly and hope this serves as a reminder and support to ensure all interactions are performed only after ensuring informed consent is given."
The anonymous consumer complaint alleged she was forced into a vaginal examination by a senior staff member to determine her progress.
"As the Minister said when this issue was raised, it is a very serious matter and [Canberra Health Services] have subsequently held meetings with staff to discuss it," a spokeswoman for Ms Fitzharris said.
"During an answer in question time on 21 March the Minister said she had been advised no consumer complaints of this nature had been received.
"Since then we have received an email referring to a complaint made in February.
"The Minister has now asked Canberra Health Services to review all complaints on this matter urgently and to look into this specific complaint further."
Canberra Health Services previously put out a statement labelling the midwife's claim misleading, unfair and unsubstantiated.
"Canberra Health Services is concerned that unsubstantiated claims made by anonymous individuals in submissions to the Legislative Assembly Inquiry into Maternity Services in the ACT are being presented as facts in media reports," the statement said.
"The allegations are misleading and unfair and likely to lead to unnecessary concerns in the community about public maternity services in the territory.
"Further, the unsubstantiated allegations are an unfair attack upon the dedicated and caring staff of Canberra Health Services."
Mrs Dunne said they were troubling allegations.
"Equally troubling is the extent to which the Minister and her officials have sought to cover up the allegations and pretend they don’t exist," she said.
daniella.white@canberratimes.com.au
