Staff at Colac Area Health posed as fake patients to make urgent care ward look busy

Hospital staff posed as fake patients during minister's visit, an investigation finds

Staff at a regional Victorian hospital posed as fake patients during a ministerial visit to make the centre appear busier than it was, a health department investigation has found.One of the 10 staff members involved in the ruse even arrived by ambulance during Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas' visit to Colac Area Health in August.A whistleblower later claimed the hospital had staged a full and busy urgent care centre using its own sta…

Staff posed as fake patients for minister

Healthcare workers pretended to be patients when the Health Minister visited so the clinic looked busy.

Staff at Colac Area Health posed as fake patients to make urgent care ward look busy

Staff at Colac Area Health posed as patients to make its urgent care ward look busy during a visit from the health minister. At least one ambulance was also arranged to arrive during the visit.

Healthy hospital staff posed as ‘fake’ patients for Victorian minister’s visit, investigation confirms

Health minister Mary-Anne Thomas says 10 people who were not unwell were inside Colac area health’s urgent care clinic during her 2023 visit