Dominico Zapata / Things
The woman, called Mrs A, was in “disbelief”. Corrections did not try to return her “many” phone calls about the test result.
A woman who was tested in prison to look for the signs of colon cancer only got the abnormal result two years later — after just being diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer.
On Monday, deputy Commissioner for Health and Disability dr. Vanessa Caldwell found Corrections to violate the patient rights code for deficiencies in women’s care, referred to in one report as Ms. A.
Mrs A, in her thirties, was in Correction Facility for Women in the Auckland Region (ARWCF) in April-May 2019, where she requested a nursing appointment due to “excess” blood in her stool.
No physical examination was performed at the appointment. The nurse prepared a laboratory form for a test to detect blood in stool under the name of the medical officer – despite not having the authority to do so.
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The abnormal result came back the next day, but nothing was done about it. Mrs A was also not informed.
The doctor saw the positive test result in her inbox the day it was returned, and booked Ms A for the first available clinic appointment – in 11 days. But meanwhile, Mrs. A was released from prison.
The health department was not notified of her release and Ms A was not told about her excellent test result, or the importance of a community doctor for her symptoms.
Michael Bradley / Stuff
The woman was in prison at the time she underwent the fecal occult blood test and was released without knowing the result.
Although there was a release address and phone number in Ms. A’s inmate file, Corrections did not contact her regarding her test result.
Mrs A’s health deteriorated after her release. She was seen “several times” in both hospitals and medical centers with persistent colorectal symptoms.
In June 2021, Ms A went to hospital and was diagnosed with advanced rectal cancer. She got her abnormal blood test result from May 2019 in August 2021.
Ms A told HDC that she felt “nothing” while in prison, and believed she was discriminated against by health professionals because of her background.
The patient rights code required Corrections, as a caregiver, to ensure that health services to inmates were appropriate.
DELIVERED/Stuff
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Vanessa Caldwell found Corrections violated the Patient Rights Code for multiple issues in Ms. A.
Caldwell noted that there were multiple issues with the woman’s care, partly due to inadequate policies and procedures at Corrections.
A “lack of effective communication” within Corrections – namely the health service and care staff – meant that the service was not aware of the woman’s release and required an earlier appointment.
“Had the health department been aware of the woman’s release, she would at least have received a summary of the discharge stating her abnormal result and the importance of follow-up in the community,” Caldwell said.
She said it was clear that the quality of health care that Ms A received in prison was not “reasonably equal” to that provided to the public.
“I therefore believe that there was an overarching service failure in this case,” Caldwell said.
She advised Corrections to provide Ms A with a written apology.
Caldwell also recommended reporting Corrections on current waiting times to the ARWCF health service and conducting an audit of inmates released to verify proper steps have been taken.