Toni Hoffman

While Hoffman has no regrets for advocating on behalf of patients, she was undermined and ridiculed by staff who resented her whistleblower actions. She took legal action against Queensland Health for gross negligence in failing to care for her, particularly denying her specialised counselling. In early March 2012, she was awarded compensation in a private settlement.

On 1 July 2010, Patel was sentenced to seven years' jail after he was found guilty of three charges of manslaughter and one count of grievous bodily harm. Then in August 2012, all convictions were quashed by the full bench of the High Court of Australia and a retrial was ordered due to "highly emotive and prejudicial evidence that was irrelevant to the case" laid before the jury. A retrial for one of the manslaughter counts resulted in acquittal and led to a plea deal where Patel pleaded guilty to fraud and the remaining charges were dropped. On 15 May 2015, he was barred from practising medicine in Australia.

Hoffman was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her exposure of Jayant Patel. She also received the 2006 Local Hero Award.

Hoffman was the head nurse at Bundaberg Base Hospital's intensive care unit. It was alleged that between 2003 and 2005 a number of patients who were not directly under Patel's care were being treated and even operated on when no procedure was necessary. Hoffman was concerned with the number of patients treated by Patel who had serious complications. The failure of her concerns to be investigated more thoroughly may have been the cause of a number of patient deaths. The lack of support and even deterrence from her colleagues make her actions all the more meritorious.

She spent time in London studying midwifery and intensive care. Hoffman received a master's degree in bio-ethics in 2002.

Toni Ellen Hoffman AM (born 9 July 1957) is a senior nurse who was made a Member of the Order of Australia and awarded the 2006 Australian of the Year Local Hero Award. She took on the role of whistleblower in informing Queensland Politician Rob Messenger about Jayant Patel, a surgeon who was the subject of the Morris Inquiry and later the Davies Commission. She originally began to raise doubts about the ability of Patel with hospital management and other staff. Both doctors and surgeons who were familiar with his work had also been deeply concerned.