Elouise and Danny Massa took two-year-old Joe to the emergency department at Northern Beaches Hospital on the morning of September 14 after he had spent the night vomiting.
After hours in the emergency room, Joe did not receive the proper care for hypovolemia, a condition that occurs when the body loses too much fluid.
His parents allege Northern Beaches Hospital failed their son “at every level” and say he would be alive today were it not for the improper care he received.
Today, they met with NSW Premier Chris Minns, Health Minister Ryan Park and Health Secretary Susan Pearce to discuss the implementation of Joe’s Rule which would enshrine a parent’s right to be heard during the treatment of their children.
”It has been the most constructive meeting any broken-hearted parent could hope to have with the premier of New South Wales, Ryan Park and Susan Pearce,” Mrs Massa said.
“They have been more than supportive towards us and Joe’s advocacy – and today is a big win for Joe and for every child in NSW because we’re making change.
“Susan Pearce will be putting together a roundtable regarding the REACH protocol and be turning it into Joe’s Rule – it means a more robust way for every single parent in NSW to know their rights.”
The REACH (Recognise, Engage, Act, Call, Help) program is currently displayed as a poster in NSW emergency departments – with four steps for parents to follow if they believe something is not right.
“It’s a way you can personally escalate any situation if you are ever feeling unsafe in a hospital, currently we don’t believe REACH is robust enough,” Mrs Massa said.
“There needs to be more put into it, more thought into how it will operate, how we will mandate it into every public hospital in NSW, and how much funding is required to raise that awareness with a public awareness campaign.”
The couple is also advocating for the public-private partnership at Northern Beaches Hospital to be scrapped.
“[Minns] is looking into enacting legislation that will safeguard any further private-public partnerships in New South Wales from occurring again,” Mrs Massa said.
“He is looking at the ownership model.”
“Chris Minns is looking into a parliamentary inquiry, Ryan Park is writing to the attorney-general regarding a coronial inquiry and he’s also going to have an independent inquiry into emergency departments specifically,” Mr Massa added.
“[It’s] overwhelming we know that Joe’s life mattered, I think we have a sense of relief that in his death, his death will also matter.”
Park said the meeting was “powerful” and “valuable,” confirming that “some of the suggestions we intend on progressing immediately” in emergency rooms across the state.
Top executives from the hospital’s operator Healthscope will publicly address the toddler’s death tomorrow.
“It’s an opportunity for them to answer some very pertinent questions about the public-private ownership model, their delivery of services,” Mr Massa said.
“Potentially also answer some questions specifically to that morning that Joe was in their hospital – the type of care he received, what type of staffing ratios that were on that day.”
