A sharp rise in preventable deaths and serious harm in Victoria's hospitals, particularly in children, has prompted the creation of a new watchdog.
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Victoria recorded 240 sentinel events in 2021/22, an increase of 43 per cent on the year before when 168 were recorded.
Of the 240 events, 38 involved children, which is also an increase on the year before.
A sentinel event is an unexpected incident that results in the death or serious physical or psychological harm to a patient as a result of system and process deficiencies.
The rise has prompted the state government to create Safer Care for Kids, a family-led support service to improve the treatment of children in emergency care.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas on Monday apologised to the families of the children affected, including those who contributed to the creation of Safer Care for Kids.
"You knew your children best, you knew when they were not okay and your concerns were not properly escalated," she told reporters.
"I'm so sorry that this has happened to you and to your families.
"We will never be able to make right what has happened, but we are determined to make sure that it never happens again."
The new agency will be an offshoot of Safer Care Victoria, which was created in 2017 and reports sentinel events annually.
This year's report showed an increase in notified sentinel events related to patient deterioration, particularly among children, and makes three recommendations into the care of kids, which the government says it will deliver in full.
Safer Care for Kids is designed to give parents and carers an alternative pathway to raise concerns if they feel they are not being listened to.
"No one knows a child as well as their parents, and we need to do better at listening to parents," Ms Thomas said.
A virtual pediatric consultation system will also be introduced, which will provide 24-hour access to specialist pediatric experts and services.
The mandated use of standardised and age-specific charts whenever a child's vital signs are recorded will also be introduced.
Safer Care for Kids will be implemented in partnership with families who have lived experience of sentinel events involving children and in close consultation with health services across Victoria.
2021/22 SENTINEL EVENTS REPORT:
* 240 sentinel events recorded, a rise of 43 per cent on the year before
* One third of the 240 incidents involved a deteriorating patient
* 25 per cent involved a clinical process or procedure
* Of the deteriorating patients, 25 per cent were in the emergency department, 22 per cent were on a ward and 13 per cent were in intensive care
* 38 of the 240 notifications were for a child
* About 20 children were involved in sentinel events the year before
* For children, 50 per cent of cases related to the recognition and response of their deterioration
Australian Associated Press
