By NZDoctor - 26.07.2024 - [NEW ZEALAND] - [Public Inquiry]
Medical Council Chair Dr Rachelle Love responds to the final report from the Abuse in State Care Royal Commission Inquiry, which was released on 24 July 2024. The report includes findings on how the Council responded to complaints about Dr Selwyn Leeks' treatment towards patients who were in his care at Lake Alice.
Medical Council fully accepts Commission’s findings
Survivors of Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit were failed by the Medical Council, and we are deeply and unreservedly sorry for this failure and the intergenerational consequences our actions have caused.
The Royal Commission’s findings are clear that we did not hold Dr Selwyn Leeks to account for the torture and abuse that he inflicted on the innocent Children of Lake Alice, including:
Using electric shocks as punishment, which was administered to various body parts including the head, torso, legs and genitals.
Injecting paraldehyde as punishment.
Misusing solitary confinement to seclude and unlawfully detain children.
Dr Leeks’ behaviour was abhorrent, unconscionable and dehumanising.
We accept that we did not prevent further harm when we became aware of Dr Leeks’ conduct. The survivors had a right to expect to be listened to, and for actions to be taken to protect them from further harm, and we did not meet those expectations.
Not only did we fail to hold Dr Leeks to account, we also prioritised the doctor's perspective over that of the patient and neglected to maintain proper records of information. We were also wrong to say that we could not legally investigate Dr Leeks in the 1990s. We could, and should, have done so at the time.
We further allowed this harm to continue when we became aware of the Royal Commission’s Inquiry in 2021, and we failed to come forward with a sufficient apology and to make amends.
We are deeply sorry.
Trust is at the core of our role, and the public should be able to trust the medical regulator to take appropriate action to ensure that public safety is protected. The safety and welfare of patients and those who make notifications must be at the centre of what we do.
We have heard the experiences of survivors through the Inquiry and we continue to have our door open to those we have let down. Our pathway now is to ensure the experiences of survivors and their whanau are forefront in what we do today, and we welcome the input of survivors as we improve our processes. We want to continue to work alongside the Children of Lake Alice as they begin, or continue, their healing journey. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary:- Those charged with a duty of care to regulate professionals in healthcare need to ensure the safety and welfare of patients is paramount in their responses to investigating abuses in healthcare. #PatientFirst #StopSexualAbuse @MedCouncilIRL