Inquest into the death of Lifa Faafete

69y · Male·advanced cholangiocarcinoma

Mr Lifa Faafete, aged 69, died from advanced cholangiocarcinoma while in remand custody at Metropolitan Special Programs Centre. He was appropriately transferred to Prince of Wales Hospital on 22 March 2025 for symptom management and died two days later. He was receiving palliative care from Justice Health and felt well-supported by the team. The key clinical lesson identified was that interpreter services could have been utilised more frequently throughout his care. Mr Faafete had limited English proficiency, and more consistent use of interpreters would have improved communication and healthcare delivery. Justice Health acknowledged this as a learning point and reinforced policy requirements to assess interpreter needs and document ongoing language support in care plans.