Doctor’s death cap poisoning warning played to jury after son, daughters of guests at fatal beef Wellington lunch testify: Trial day seven, as it happened

“Stress and anxiety can make a heart rate go up, being unwell and dehydrated can make a heart rate go up,” Foote said.

Foote said blood tests taken about 10.15am did not show any metabolic acidosis or electrolyte disturbance in Erin, which she thought was reassuring.

The jury heard that about 10.40am, Erin again told Foote that she wanted to leave the hospital.

“We had informed her that her children needed to go to Monash Medical Centre to be assessed. She wanted to leave the hospital to go to their school to pick them up and take them to Monash Medical Centre,” Foote said.

Foote said she had advised Erin that she could become unwell very quickly, and that it was not safe for her to pick up the children and drive them to the medical centre herself.

She said she had asked her whether Simon Patterson, Erin’s estranged husband, could drive them there.

“I asked whether her … husband was able to pick the children up and take them to Monash. Mrs Patterson told me that she didn’t think that was in the best interests of her children,” she said.

Foote said she offered to call the children’s school and ask if there was a welfare officer that could take them to Monash Medical Centre. However, before that could be done, Erin got a phone call from Simon, and agreed he would pick up the children.

About 10.45am, Foote said she spoke to a toxicology registrar at the Austin Hospital, who recommended that Erin be treated with intravenous fluids and antibiotics. She said the registrar called back about 10 minutes later and was put on the phone to Erin to ask her about the mushrooms.

About 30 minutes later, Foote got a phone call from a toxicology registrar at Monash Medical Centre who was involved in treating the other lunch guests, and requested that Foote send the leftovers from the beef Wellington meal served at the lunch to Monash Medical Centre.

Foote said the registrar asked her to take a photo of the sample, which was inside a Woolworths branded paper bag, for identification.

CCTV footage played to the jury shows a brown paper bag on the counter of the triage area of the urgent care centre at Leongatha Hospital.

In the video, Foote, wearing surgical gloves and a mask, can be seen taking out a dark brown substance and a larger bit of food encased in what appears to be pastry from the bag and placing them on an apron on the table before taking photos and returning them to back into the bag.

The jury heard that about 12pm, Foote asked that Erin be put on IV fluids and given a liver protecting drug, and organised a transfer for her to Monash Medical Centre.

Foote has concluded her evidence for today. She is expected to continue giving evidence on Thursday.

Webster said Erin had presented to hospital sometime after 8am.

“There were five people that ate a meal on Saturday and two of them are at intensive care in Dandenong Hospital. Two have been transported to Dandenong Hospital from Leongatha Hospital. Erin presented this morning with symptoms,” he said.

“It was time for the nurse to begin observations and I was managing the other critically unwell patients so I had a brief chat to her about where the mushrooms were obtained, and while I was attending the other patients the nurse informed me she had discharged herself against medical advice.”

Webster provided Erin’s phone number and told the operator he was happy to be contacted.

At 9.48am, Webster became aware that Erin had returned to Leongatha hospital.

“I was the one that encountered her,” he said. “There’s a security shield [at the urgent care centre] and I spoke to her through the narrow space through the security shield.”

Webster asked her if anyone had ingested the beef Wellington, and Erin responded that her children had eaten meat from the leftovers but not the pastry or the mushrooms.

Shortly after, Webster got a phone call from police informing him that they were at Erin’s house in Leongatha. He told them Erin was back at the hospital and requested the officers collect any leftovers from the beef Wellington.

“I had no idea [if there were any leftovers] but I figured there was a chance,” he said.

Webster asked Erin if she would give permission for police to go inside her home, and she said they would find some leftovers in the bin.

“I was surprised,” he said. “I had just informed her that she had been potentially exposed to deadly death cap poison.”

Webster said he tried to ring Erin three times and left voicemail messages each time.

“I was apologetic and informed the voicemail that I would have to contact the police for her safety and request they bring her down to hospital,” he said.

After the attempts to contact Erin failed, Webster said he spoke to the hospital’s chief executive and director of medical services to explain the situation and flag that he would be contacting the police.