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Lack of Communication

Posted By capellaxf45

"Lack of Communication"

About: Royal Perth Hospital / Elective & Emergency Orthopaedic Surgery & Bone Tissue Bank

(as the patient),

I had a plastic appointment regarding surgery on my finger.

The doctor who i spoke i was mentioned they will call me to come back to hospital the next day or the day following. Later they called the next day and said they will do a surgery the following day (two days after my appointment). I fasted about 19 hours and end of day i was told that they are not doing surgery. I was told to stay in hospital overnight and surgery will happen the next day in the morning (three days after my appointment). 

It is now the afternoon three days after my appointment, and at the time of writing no information when surgery will happen. I had a new job and i am on leave for second consecutive day. I have requested nurse to call doctor to have a chat direct but no doctor was available also the doctor only appeared briefly the day before for about 5 min at time of handover to night shift. 

I believe there has been a clear lack of communication on when surgery is happening as at the time of writing this its 3rd day i have to come to hospital and i have right to ask them when surgery will happen but doctors are not responding.

I though clearly mentioned doctor who saw me that first day to call me on a day when they actually do the surgery as i have a new job and can’t take much leave. This has been unfortunately a disappointing experience and i deserve to be clearly communicated on surgery when will it happen.

I want to escalate this matter.

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Responses

Response from Ben Noteboom, Executive Director, Royal Perth Bentley Group yesterday
Ben Noteboom
Executive Director,
Royal Perth Bentley Group

Submitted on 29/05/2025 at 12:15 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 3:14 PM

picture of Ben Noteboom

Dear capellaxf45,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience on Care Opinion. I was very sorry to hear about your injury and the circumstances surrounding your admission to Royal Perth Hospital (RPH), under the Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery team. I would like to acknowledge the frustration caused by the delays to your surgery and unclear communication, particularly given your new job and the time you had to take off work.

I understand that your surgery was performed on Friday last week.

As a teaching hospital and home to the State Major Trauma Unit, RPH strives to provide high-quality care in what can often be a complex and busy environment. While you were an admitted patient under the care of the ward team, at times more urgent cases must be prioritised. That said, this does not diminish the impact of the wait you experienced, or the communication gaps you encountered, and for that I sincerely apologise.

We recognise that timely and clear communication is essential, and it is clear from your experience that this standard was not met. Your feedback has been shared with both the Nurse Unit Manager of your admitting ward and the Head of Department, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, to support reflection and learning within the team.

I wish you all the best in your recovery.

Kind regards

Ben Noteboom

Executive Director

Royal Perth Bentley Group

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