“I knew immediately it was the VAD[substance],” she said.
O’Connell asked the woman if anyone had thought to have a medical professional collect the VAD substance as ABC was temporarily unable to leave his home.
“In hindsight,I didn’t even think to ask,” the woman said.
Queensland Health’s VAD staff were aware that the substance was due to be returned and ABC had said he would do so when he picked up his other medication.
A registered nurse involved in VAD told the inquest there had been one instance of a patient where the substance was not kept in their home.
“It was share accommodation ... the man chose not to have it in the house as it was unsafe. It was taken to the local hospital,” the nurse said.
The nurse said she would also not allow the substance to be stored in a home if she felt it to be unsafe.
O’Connell said he was concerned that regulations around self-administering VAD could allow other people without a terminal illness to be physically harmed or suffer mental distress.
“We’ve got medication safety and patient autonomy;we’ve got to find where the pendulum swings to get the balance right,” he said.
The nurse said VAD substances in a hospital were kept in a locked cabinet that required two keys to access but were not monitored after a patient took possession.