Monday 4 July 2022 03:24 PM Launceston General Hospital Tasmanian missed 'red flags' of male nurse charged ... trends now
A hospital in Tasmania failed to pick up red flags about the grooming conduct of a male pediatric nurse years before he was charged with multiple child sexual abuse offences.
An inquiry into state government responses to abuse allegations in the public service is examining the Launceston General Hospital and James Geoffrey Griffin.
Griffin, who worked at the facility for almost two decades, took his own life in October 2019 after being charged by police.
James Griffin (pictured) who worked at the Launceston General Hospital for almost two decades, took his own life in October 2019 after being charged with child sex offences
An inquiry into state government responses to abuse allegations in the public service is examining the Launceston General Hospital (pictured)
The state government on Sunday launched an urgent review into the hospital's governance after the inquiry was told harrowing tales of abuse by Griffin and 'catastrophic' failures to act on complaints against him.
Kirsty Neilley was 16 when she was first admitted to the children's ward at the hospital in 2015.
She said Griffin gave her long hugs, kisses, carried her after a shower and communicated with her via Facebook.
Ms Neilley said Griffin told her a staff member had reported him for getting too close to her and he could lose his job because of it.
'I think the night nurse ... had told (Griffin) that he was to stop contacting me,' she told the inquiry.
'He gave me his phone number instead, so that it was just a random number coming up on screen instead of his Facebook name.'
Ms Neilley, who said she would occasionally wake to Griffin
