Health and Disability Commissioner Apologises to Doctor Misidentified in Hawke’s Bay Case
Hastings, New Zealand – The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) has issued an apology to a doctor who was mistakenly implicated in a report concerning failings at Hawke’s Bay Hospital. The error stemmed from the HDC’s pseudonymisation policy used when publishing decisions to protect patient and staff privacy.
The HDC report detailed a case where a patient underwent surgery at Hawke’s Bay Hospital performed by a practitioner who lacked the necessary credentials and did not seek support as recommended. While the report did not name individuals,the HDC’s use of initials led to the incorrect association with another doctor. An HDC spokesperson confirmed the organisation has “acknowledged and apologised to the doctor for any concern caused by any inference that he was involved in this case.”
The HDC’s standard practice involves assigning pseudonyms in alphabetical order, unrelated to actual surnames, to protect identities. However,the spokesperson stated the policy is under review,scheduled for next year,following this incident. “Names have been removed to protect privacy. Identifying letters are assigned in alphabetical order and bear no relationship to the person’s actual name,” reads a disclaimer included on all published decisions.
The HDC confirmed it had not received prior reports of similar misidentification issues. The case highlights the challenges of balancing transparency with privacy when investigating and reporting on healthcare failings. Ric Stevens, a journalist with NZME’s Open Justice team, reported on the incident.
