Finding into death of Lynette May Phillips

Contributing factors

• intimate partner violence perpetrated by Benjamin Pappas
• history of physical assaults and controlling behaviour by partner
• victim's vulnerability due to drug dependency
• failure of treating general practitioner to establish appropriate professional boundaries
• general practitioner treating both victim and perpetrator despite knowledge of violence
• perpetrator accessing victim's medical records

Coroner's recommendations

1. Conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a specialist family violence 'on-call' service for general practitioners and other health care professionals in Victoria, with the function of providing specialist family violence information and advice to primary health care providers, including guidance on risk and vulnerability indicators, safety planning, and referral pathways to local services
2. Encourage RACGP, General Practice Victoria and the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne to consider further development and expansion of family violence training for general practitioners and other health care professionals across the state
3. Ensure health care professionals receive ongoing family violence awareness and training across all career stages from medical school to ongoing professional development
4. Develop and promote up-to-date resources providing information and guidance about the nature, dynamics and risk factors for family violence
5. Keep health care professionals informed of current services and options for increasing victim safety and addressing perpetrator behaviour