Abuse in a hospital ward: Victorian survivor fears for safety of children visiting patients

  • 📰 GuardianAus
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 75 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 33%
  • Publisher: 98%

Australia Headlines News

Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines

Riley* alleges her father frequently sexually and physically abused her while he was in hospital. Experts say more should be done to protect visitors

Riley* was in her early 30s when she began combing through her late father’s medical records, searching for answers about a heart attack he suffered almost two decades earlier.

Guardian Australia understands the hospital did not acknowledge wrongdoing as part of the settlement, and no legal proceedings were commenced. He spent time on different wards run by the Austin, and two years at an external psychiatric facility. In 1998 he was admitted to a specialist brain injury facility run by AustinFrom the time of her father’s admission in 1994, Riley alleges she was abused by him once or twice a week until she reached adulthood. At times physical violence was witnessed by staff, according to written internal records.

The incident was documented in her father’s medical records, viewed by Guardian Australia, the next day. It was noted that the father had “hit his daughter last night.”Riley feared that if she spoke up about the abuse her father’s treatment would worsen .The next day, Riley’s father attempted to assault staff and was placed in a straitjacket and arm restraints, the records show. His condition was described as “acutely psychotic”.

The case file notes, viewed by Guardian Australia, show the case was closed in 1998 after Riley agreed not to see her father again. But she began visiting him again after a few months – and was left alone with him. “It’s just not an environment where I felt like my kids were safe. And I wish that wasn’t the case,” she says.Once discharged from hospital, she successfully applied to, established in the wake of the 2017 royal commission into institutional to child sexual abuse.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 1. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Voice referendum results: Liberals seek to follow No vote with Victorian pushMPs believe the Labor-held seat of McEwen could turn blue after 61 per cent of voters rejected the Voice in the referendum, but locals aren’t convinced.
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »

Victorian Liberals’ moderate credentials looking shaky as commitment to treaty waversAfter the voice referendum, John Pesutto appears non-committal on treaty – but it’s unclear whether an about-face will be well-received in the ‘Massachusetts of Australia’
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

Victorian Labor MP among the injured after small plane crashA Victorian Labor politician is recovering in hospital after being among the injured following a light plane crash near Geelong.
Source: SkyNewsAust - 🏆 7. / 78 Read more »

Victorian farmers ‘incredibly concerned’ with transmission lines for renewable projectsVictorian farmer Glenden Watts says people in his Victorian community are “incredibly concerned” about the harm of new transmission lines and potential fire risks. Farmers and landowners in western Victoria are up in arms about Labor’s plan for new transmission lines connecting new wind and solar projects into the grid.
Source: SkyNewsAust - 🏆 7. / 78 Read more »

High court to rule on Catholic church’s liability for abuse committed by paedophile priestsChurch granted special leave to appeal Victorian judgment that Ballarat diocese was vicariously liable for abuse of five-year-old child known as DP
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

How Jy got his landlord to repay him $1365 in back payLegal experts think there’s lots of money out there to be claimed and that thousands of Victorian renters could be entitled to back pay.
Source: theage - 🏆 8. / 77 Read more »