Fatal medication mistakes and surgery mix-ups among record number of ‘harm events’ in Victorian hospitals

Review of one of Australia’s biggest health systems finds almost five medical errors a day, with some causing death Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Fatal medication errors killed 18 patients and four died or were seriously harmed after objects were left inside their bodies after surgery, a review into harmful events at Victorian hospitals has revealed. The deaths are among 245 sentinel or “harm events” uncovered in the 12 months to the end of June 2023, according to a Safer Care Victoria report, up 2% on the previous year. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email