Hospital reassures patients over privacy

Gore Health chief executive Karl Metzler has moved to reassure patients that their medical details are safe after a woman was recently convicted for forging prescriptions to obtain drugs while she worked as a health coach.

Meanwhile, a Gore district councillor says the woman’s involvement in a councillors’ retreat in Cromwell is the reason he left it.

Shanna Marie Crosbie was sentenced to 75 hours’ community work and nine months’ supervision after she pleaded guilty to forging a document (a prescription) to obtain property, and using a forged document, both on August 19; and forging a document (a prescription), on September 29, 2022.

The court heard she accessed the database and the medical records of a male patient while working as a health coach for Active Southland at Gore Health, and had logged in using her own

name and password.

Gore Health runs the town’s hospital and a medical centre.

Metzler said the offending was ‘‘very much an isolated incident’’.

‘‘It’s very important that we reassure our community and our patients that their medical records are safe.

‘‘She had a laser-like intention on obtaining drugs and her actions were typical drug seeking behaviour. It wasn’t that she was trying to seek patients’ details,’’ he said.

‘‘We have tightened our clinical procedures further and now run monthly checks looking for this kind of behaviour. Our patients can be assured that our processes are robust.’’

Crosbie presented the prescriptions at a pharmacy to obtain tramadol and codeine. Her lawyer, Bill Wright, told the court she was assessed to be suffering from moderate to severe substance addiction, had a troubled background of abuse and trauma, had previously self-harmed and had a physical disability.

Metzler said he was pleased Crosbie’s name suppression had been lifted because the ‘‘cloud of secrecy’’ had been hanging over the organisation’s female clinical staff.

‘‘To have aspersions cast over them when they are incredibly professional has been incredibly unfair.’’

Gore Health had extended its apologies to the male patient whose details had been accessed.

Metzler had worked in the area of addiction medicine, and he hoped Crosbie got the help she needed, he said.

In a statement, Active Southland chief executive Vanessa Hughey said: ‘‘This was a gross breach of trust by an individual who is no longer an employee of Active Southland. Due to privacy issues we will not be commenting further.’’

The organisation would not comment on whether it had reviewed or changed any of its employment processes after the offending was discovered.

Crosbie had previously worked as Gore district mayor Ben Bell’s assistant.

Cr Richard McPhail said Crosbie’s involvement in a retreat for councillors at Cromwell in the early days of Bell’s mayoralty was why he left it.

‘‘I was aware of her association with Ben, and I was concerned about the implications,’’ he said.

‘‘It went against my principles and as I have said before, for me, it was about professionalism, trust and integrity – it was not about Ben. I voiced my concerns about that to the other councillors and removed myself from the retreat.’’

A Gore District Council spokesperson said Bell would not be commenting about Crosbie’s offending.