A nurse has told an inquest into the death of Veronica Marie Nelson that the doctor fabricated a health assessment before sending her into the prison’s mainstream population.
Registered nurse Stephanie Hills broke down in tears as she gave evidence at the inquest into the death in custody of Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman.
Ms Nelson died on her cell floor from complications of opiate withdrawals in 2020 at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a maximum-security prison in Melbourne’s west.
In court on Monday, Hills said the doctor remained seated during the 15-minute health assessment and did not move to check Ms Nelson's lungs, heart or abdomen, which a doctor would be required to do in an assessment.
“It wasn’t done - he didn’t move from his chair,” said Ms Hills.
She also said that it would normally take 30-45 minutes to complete a proper medical assessment of new inmates which the doctor did not do.
When asked by counsel assisting, Sharon Lacy if the doctor had checked her heart rate, her pupils or her lungs, Ms Hills answered “no” to all of them.
In the medical assessment document, Ms Nelson weighed 40.7 kgs, had a resting heart rate of 57, and a low-blood pressure of 104,
Ms Hills told the inquest she raised concerns about Ms Nelson’s health and told the doctor that the inmate should be sent to a hospital, but was ordered to stay in her place.
“It was (he said), ‘I’m the doctor, I will make the decisions', and I believe there was a, ‘you’re just a nurse’, thrown in there as well,” she said.
Ms Hills broke down in tears when she described what went on during the medical assessment of Ms Nelson.
Photo of Veronica Nelson with partner Percy Lovett Source: Percy Lovett
She said Ms Nelson could barely stand up or sit and was “draped” over a chair in an “incoherent” state when she was being medically assessed.
“She was draped over the right-hand side of the chair,” she said.
“I had to physically support Veronica up-right in the chair in order to apply the blood pressure cuff to her right arm because I’m righthanded.
“And to obtain a blood-pressure reading, an arm cannot be bent, so I then had to keep her arm out-stretched whilst I also supported her weight upright in order to obtain the blood pressure reading.”
Ms Hills also said she was also baffled that the doctor had written down Ms Nelson’s weight, due to the fact that she could barely stand up during the health assessment and that she did not see the doctor go near her.
“I asked Veronica if she was able to go to the scale to be weighed and she was unable,” she said.
“She was too unwell to even sit in the chair…. she was unable to walk to the scale.
“I believe we asked her if she wanted to be weighed or would be weighed, but she was too unwell… or incoherent to be weighed.”
The doctor, who is yet to give evidence, also wrote down on the medical assessment that Ms Nelson was not suffering from any withdrawals from drugs or alcohol.
The inquest continues.
