The Norwegian Health Authority has sent out advance notice that they are considering suspending the authorization of the doctor. It is happening after several reports of concern from health personnel in Trøndelag, Viken and Vestfold and Telemark. There it appears that the doctor has taken on a lot of work. In a note, the head of emergency in Porsgrunn wrote this about the substitute doctor: “I think we should end this while we still have no dead patients…” A total of seven municipalities and one hospital have sent in reports of concern. Working around the clock In Porsgrunn, the municipality responded that the doctor took many shifts at the emergency room, in addition to his job as a GP. Several times the doctor worked around the clock. The doctor could go from a day job as a GP to evening duty at the Porsgrunn A&E. From there he traveled on to night duty at the Larvik emergency room, and then went to work as a GP again the next day, according to the note that the municipal superintendent in Porsgrunn has sent to the State Administrator. news has seen documentation that the doctor worked at least 44.5 hours over the course of three days. – We know of several examples where the doctor worked more than a full day, but since it was in several municipalities, it will be the State Administrator who has an overview of the scope, says Hunnestad to news. The substitute doctor was employed as a GP in Porsgrunn municipality. The municipality canceled the contract last autumn because, among other things, they believed that there was a risk of patient injury, says municipal chief physician Jan-Arne Hunnestad. Photo: Britt Boyesen / news – Seemed tired The staff at the emergency room in Porsgrunn reported that the doctor seemed tired and that the work was rushed. In order to catch up with the night shifts in the neighboring municipality, the substitute doctor left work at the Porsgrunn emergency room several times early. The emergency doctor noted in a note that it seemed that the doctor had a significant focus on earnings and finances. “This seems to sometimes exceed the requirement that treatment should be caring and responsible”, writes the emergency doctor. Examples of this are the downgrading of patients with mental illness, diligent assessment and low interest in telephone consultations. A note from the emergency room supervisor states: “I allow myself to say it as clearly as I can. I do not want this doctor in operation at Porsgrunn emergency room. I want him out of service immediately.” Nurse intervened Nurses at the emergency department intervened when the substitute doctor wanted to send home a patient with EKG changes. This is what the emergency room supervisor in Porsgrunn describes in a note. They chose to override the doctor, and submitted the EKG to a hospital on their own initiative. – The result was a red response from us with a direct trip to Arendal. The doctor must then have turned around and told both the patient and relatives that he immediately saw the EKG changes, writes the emergency room supervisor. In the note, the emergency room supervisor in Porsgrunn writes that the substitute doctor is not wanted in operation at the emergency room. In the note, it is described that the doctor must also have tried to send home a patient with a high risk of suicide. Nurses have also reported that the doctor had to be “spoken to sternly” to be able to come out of the ward room at night, according to the note. As a GP in Porsgrunn, however, the substitute doctor received only one patient complaint, and the staff at the medical center were satisfied with him, writes the municipal superintendent to the Statsforvalteren. – We have collected five complaints or deviations which we believe could have resulted in patient harm. We are aware that there are similar deviations or complaints in other municipalities, says Hunnestad. In Larvik, restrictions had to be set relatively quickly on the number of shifts to limit the substitute doctor, because it seemed that he was unable to manage this himself, describes the emergency doctor in Larvik in his note to the State Administrator. In Vestfold and Telemark, three municipalities have notified eight deviations that occurred within a few months. Same concerns reported In the supervisory case from Trøndelag, reports of concern have been received from the municipalities of Inderøy, Steinkjer and Holmestrand, as well as Helse-Nord-Trøndelag at Levanger Hospital. – We investigated the case, and forwarded it to the National Health Inspectorate for assessment of “administrative reaction” on 23 June this year, says assistant county doctor in Trøndelag, Øyvind Alexandersen. Levanger Hospital is among several health institutions that have raised concerns about the doctor. Photo: Tariq Alisubh / news The State Administrator in Trøndelag concluded with a breach of the Health Personnel Act which applied to the doctor’s work at the emergency room in Steinkjer. The case concerned a complaint about the emergency room doctor’s behavior and the healthcare a patient received. The state administrator also believed that it was not in accordance with caring health care to refuse to speak to the patient’s next of kin during the consultation. The emergency room doctors themselves have apologized and acknowledged that he was given missing information in the case, according to documents that news has had access to. Kongsberg municipality has also reported some of the same concerns as in Trøndelag and Vestfold and Telemark. The State Administrator in Vestfold and Telemark has forwarded the case to the Norwegian Health Inspectorate. The state administrator in Vestfold and Telemark has obtained information and forwarded the reports of concern to the National Health Inspectorate, confirms assistant county doctor Bjørg Klemetsdal. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news – It is clear that when there are reports of concern that are similar to each other and come from three municipalities, we believe it should be considered by the Norwegian Health Authority as there is a possibility that there may be sanctions against this doctor. That’s according to assistant county doctor, Bjørg Klemetsdal. She says that they have collected more information about the doctor and the deviations that should have occurred. Working flexibly The replacement doctor does not want to comment on the matter to news. He has previously sent answers to some of the concerns to the municipal superintendent in Porsgrunn. There, the doctor writes that he works in a way that ensures that he functions as he should on all shifts. He also points out that he works through a staffing agency. This means that he must work 37.5 hours a week, but that it is flexible when he works these hours. – Personally, I believe that what should determine the shifts is not the number of hours, but the functioning of a doctor. If you always work as well, for example, at hour 16 as at hour 1, I personally do not see that there is anything in the way of working 16 hours, he writes. For treatment The Norwegian Health Authority confirms that an advance notice of possible suspension of authorization has been sent to the doctor. A decision on suspension can be given for six months pending a final decision on the case. Beyond that, they cannot comment on the matter. – There is nothing we can say for now, other than that it is being processed, says communications director Nina Vedholm.
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Municipalities sent messages of concern about a doctor who worked around the clock – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
