Understaffed hospital missed kidney failure that killed footy ref
A coroner found a 31-year-old died of undetected kidney failure after visiting the hospital twice.
Robert Murray, a popular referee for the Collarenebri Bulldogs, died on May 13, 2022, aged 31. On April 26, he visited the hospital with chest pain and high blood pressure.
The kidney failure causing his death went undetected. The hospital had only two nurses working that day.
One worked in the emergency room and one at the attached aged care facility. A nurse took blood tests but did not review all the results.
She missed a reading showing severe kidney failure. A fly-in, fly-out doctor relied on the nurse's incomplete report.
He did not examine all the metrics either. Experts said if the results had been identified, Murray would have been transferred to Dubbo for proper treatment.
The coroner found multiple missed opportunities to save his life.
- May 13, 2022
- Date of death
- Only 2 nurses working that day
- Hospital staffing
- Dubbo hospital
- Proper care location
Why it mattersThe case shows how understaffing at rural hospitals can have fatal consequences and reveals gaps in how test results are reviewed.
AustraliaRegional Australians relying on small hospitals may face similar risks if staffing and safety protocols are not reviewed.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 11 d ago
