A senior director at a Tasmanian hospital where a pedophile nurse worked for almost two decades has told an inquiry he is not certain systems have markedly changed since the revelations.
A commission of inquiry was told there were "catastrophic failures" by the Launceston General Hospital in responding to complaints and red flags about former pediatric nurse James Geoffrey Griffin.
Griffin took his own life in October 2019 after being charged with multiple child sexual offences.
Peter Renshaw, who has been executive director of medical services at the hospital since 1989, was asked by counsel assisting, Elizabeth Bennett KC, if processes had changed since Griffin's offending came to light.
"I'm not certain that there have been any marked changes," he replied.
Dr Renshaw was asked how he could be sure the hospital was safe and replied, "I can't really answer that".
"Did the hospital learn anything from the experience of having Griffin operating on a children's ward for 18 years? Where do we find those learnings reflected?," Ms Bennett asked.
"I can't answer that question. I don't know where. I certainly know the experience has been a great teacher. There will be leanings that we get from the commission that we will be able to use," Dr Renshaw replied.
The inquiry was called by the state government in late 2020 after whistleblowers and survivors told their story through a podcast.
Dr Renshaw conceded it was an error that a briefing from the hospital to the government in November 2019 didn't reference an historical abuse allegation against Griffin that he knew about.
Dr Renshaw said he was told in October 2019 by police that a colleague of Griffin, Kylee Pearn, told hospital human resources in 2011 that Griffin had abused her as a child.
Dr Renshaw agreed it was open to the commission to find there had been a failure of leadership at the hospital after Griffin's death.
"This was an absolutely unprecedented situation. We muddled through but it was not ideal," he said.
"Probably what we could be criticised (for) was not being dysfunctional, but being not resilient or not flexible enough to try and work out better ways of ensuring the safety of children in the hospital as a result of this experience."
Dr Renshaw also apologised for causing distress to the family of Zoe Duncan, who was allegedly raped at the hospital by a doctor in 2001.
Dr Renshaw told the inquiry on Thursday he thought it was unlikely a rape occurred because of the layout of the hospital.
On Friday, he said he should have been aware of child safety services' belief that Zoe had been raped.
The hearing continues.
