Family wants apology over health minister’s handling of media complaint

A Brisbane family who publicly shared their fraught health system experience now wants an apology from the minister after he made disputed claims about the saga in parliament and defended this by suggesting speaking to media waived patient confidentiality.

Nicole Wilson, 36, says she was left with a heart condition after a close call in late September which saw her driven to hospital by her neighbour, collapsing in front of them in her doorway after three Triple-Zero calls failed to deliver an ambulance to her home.

Wilson, an asthmatic who was later told she was lucky to have survived after being diagnosed with a bacterial infection and bilateral pneumonia, detailed her experience alongside mother Marysha Smith in Courier-Mail story published last Friday.

But the pair are now speaking out again, saying Health Minister Tim Nicholls aired elements of Wilson’s medical history beyond those they themselves shared – and which were untrue – in an attempt to undermine her concerns or scare others into silence.

“He’s lucky I don’t sue him,” Wilson told this masthead when approached about Nicholls’ comments. “It’s wrong”.

Australian Medical Association Queensland President Erica Gannon has said even when patients chose to raise issues with their care in the media, “they should still have confidence private details will remain private”. Labor has echoed the calls.

The development comes amid growing claims the Crisafulli government has been seeking to silence public criticism, and ongoing health system pressures brought into recent sharp focus by the death of 51-year-old Nick Bradford while waiting for an ambulance.

After being asked about the matter during question time on Wednesday, Nicholls described seeking a briefing about the story after being made aware of it and that Wilson had “a significant medical history, including a worsening of her condition for two days [prior].”

“In fact, the clinical notes, as I am advised, report that her mother had requested she go to the hospital but the patient had refused to do so at the time of the worsening of her circumstance,” Nicholls said – which both Wilson and Smith say did not happen.

At this point, Deputy Opposition Leader Cameron Dick sought to raise a point of order, saying Nicholls was revealing personal details about the condition of someone who had been in the care of Queensland Health, and the state should be struck from the record.

“I am very conscious of my obligations. I know that the details have already been provided by the patient themselves in the Courier-Mail story – the timeframe and details are already there,” Nicholls said, laying out the timeline of calls and call-backs.

“I think it is appropriate that where the patient themselves discloses the details to the public, as the member would know, confidentiality is lost.”

Nicholls’ office is yet to respond to questions from this masthead, sent on Thursday, seeking clarification about which specific section of health legislation lays out such a scenario. Nor has it responded to the further comments of Wilson, Smith, Gannon and the opposition.

While there are strict rules around the disclosure of patient information, MPs speaking in parliament are protected by parliamentary privilege and accountable only to the rules MPs set themselves around this power.

Labor opposition health spokesperson Mark Bailey, in a statement, said Nicholls’ should have reached out to Wilson on hearing of the incident to check on her and assure her it was not acceptable, with government action likely only to lead to more such cases.

“Instead, he sought to diminish her difficult experience by breaching her privacy in parliament without her permission,” Bailey said. “Queenslanders expect the government to hear their stories and treat patients with respect.”

Smith said she was unsure how Nicholls had received the disputed detail of events. “I’m just more worried about the ambos – they should have come and got her,” she said.

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