Authorities will investigate the death of two-year-old Joe Massa, which occurred at Sydney’s Northern Beaches Hospital in September of last year.
The investigation was initiated yesterday after the NSW coroner directed police to examine the circumstances surrounding the toddler’s death.
In a statement released this afternoon, NSW Police confirmed that Joe’s death had not been reported at the time it occurred.
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Police have since reported the death to the coroner and an investigation has been launched by the Northern Beaches Police Area Command.
Joe was admitted to Northern Beaches Hospital on September 14 following a night of vomiting.
The two-year-old suffered from hypovolemia, a serious condition resulting from excessive fluid loss.
Despite exhibiting a dangerously high heartbeat and his mother’s urgent requests for intravenous fluids, Joe had to wait over two and a half hours for a bed.
He was subsequently transferred to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick, where he tragically passed away.
Parents Danny and Elouise Massa assert that Northern Beaches Hospital failed their son at every level, claiming he would still be alive today if he had received proper care.
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Yesterday, executives from Healthscope, the operator of Northern Beaches Hospital, faced scrutiny in the NSW parliament and stated they take “full accountability” for Joe’s death.
Chief Medical Officer Peter Thomas admitted that the decision not to provide Joe with an IV drip after repeated requests from his mother was “a mistake”.
He acknowledged, “Retrospectively, it would’ve been appropriate to give baby Joe fluids earlier in his admission.”
Police are now preparing a brief for the coroner regarding this tragic incident.
