Supreme Court dismisses doctor’s application for judicial review

04 Dec 2015

The Supreme Court of Western Australia has dismissed a doctor’s application for judicial review of a decision of the Medical Board of Australia Performance and Professional Standards Panel.

In August 2014, a panel found that Dr Keith Woollard, a cardiologist, had behaved in a way that constitutes unsatisfactory professional performance and cautioned him for failing to maintain clear, appropriate, accurate and detailed clinical records of his discussions with his patient about the risks and potential complications of a coronary angioplasty he had performed in 2011.

In February 2015, Dr Woollard applied for judicial review of the panel’s decision in the Court, arguing that the ‘reasons for decision’ were inadequate and/or that there was no evidence to support a finding that he had failed to maintain proper clinical records.

The Court heard the application in August 2015 and handed down its decision in September 2015.
The Court found that the panel’s reasons for decision were adequate. In doing so, it noted that the facts relating to whether the records kept by Dr Woollard were appropriate, were not in dispute.

Dr Woollard has appealed the Court’s decision.

The Supreme Court decision is published on Austlii