Failings in health system abuse complaints

FAILURES IN HEALTH CARE AUTHORITIES' HANDLING OF CHILD ABUSE COMPLAINTS:

ABUSE BY NSW DOCTOR JOHN PHILLIP ROLLESTON

* GP in private practice and employed by various hospitals in Sydney, before working in Broken Hill

* Abuse allegations made to health care regulators from 1992

* Jailed in 2011 for four years for indecently assaulting 12 boys

* Later jail terms for abusing three more boys; total sentence ran to June 2015

* Deregistered May 2013

* Health Care Complaints Commission didn't refer two complaints to police

* HCCC wrongly terminated investigation into one complaint

* HCCC insensitive approach to a complainant in 2003-2006

* Medical Board didn't use its power to act against a doctor before 2009

ABUSE BY PSYCHOLOGIST AT ROYAL NORTH SHORE HOSPITAL

* Terence Kirkpatrick said Frank Stuart Simpson abused him in 1967-1968

* Was 11 at time

* Abuse under the guise of play therapy as treatment for asthma

* Father told RNSH would take care of it

* Dad discouraged from going to police

* No records found of complaint

ABUSE BY VOLUNTEER AT MELBOURNE'S ROYAL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

* Former patient said she was abused by two volunteers in early 1980s

* Made complaints in 1997 to CEO of Women's & Children's Health Care Network

* After call from informer, police identified volunteer as Harry Otto Pueschel

* Police believed potentially number of victims

* Hospital never confronted Pueschel with allegations; no internal investigation

* Sacked him as volunteer January 1998, with no mention of abuse

* Pueschel able to access wards again

* Hospital didn't tell victim police wanted her to contact them

Source: Child abuse royal commission.