Former WA secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation Mark Olsen painted a grim picture of the hospital system and conditions for nurses since the pandemic at the coronial inquest into the death of seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath at Perth Children’s Hospital.

He outlined details of letters from ANF members, including one who wrote that two nurses were left to look after 40 patients in a ward.

6PR reporter Jake Battrick told Mornings host Liam Bartlett that Olsen’s stark comments led to a extraordinary exchange between the coroner and state solicitor Carolyn Thatcher, who was worried Olsen’s evidence was “heading down a troubling path”.

“[Thatcher] wanted the coroner to clarify if she was going to make any recommendations based on the horror stories Mr Olsen was giving,” Battrick told the program from outside the Coroner’s Court of WA .

Hear what else Olsen detailed on day seven of the coronial inquest 👇