"Cultural insensitivities"

Dear piscesjz43,

Thank you for sharing your story. I was truly sorry to read of your mother’s and your experience while at Royal Perth Hospital.

We believe that compassionate care begins with understanding and respect, and aim to ensure we honour the diverse cultural and religious backgrounds of every individual who walks through our doors, whether it be patients, families, staff, and visitors alike.

We have a range of strategies in place to remind our staff to ask patients about their individual needs while they are in our care, and to ensure that we are responding appropriately, however these clearly did not stand up in your experience. Some of the strategies we have in place are use of our “Comprehensive Care Plan” document, an assessment which captures important individualised information about each patient’s care, treatment goals and preferences. This record has a section to specifically capture any spiritual or cultural needs our patients have. Additionally, we promote use of the “What Matters Most” record with all our patients, to help us understand who to involve in a person’s care, what their concerns are about their health, wellbeing and the care we are providing, any individual considerations/needs (such as cultural or spiritual needs) and what their goals are during an admission to our hospital. We also include information around this in our ‘Welcome Pack’ which is available to patients and carers during hospital stays both electronically Royal Perth Hospital - Your Hospital Stay and in hard copy.

Your feedback indicates that we have more improvements to make in this regard, and we will share your story with the clinical multidisciplinary teams involved in your mother’s care to reflect on and consider how they can further improve their practice.

I also want to acknowledge your specific concerns regarding the gender of staff involved in your mother’s care. Regrettably, due to staffing limitations and operational demands, it may not always be possible to provide same-gender staff at all times for all patients. I am sorry to hear you feel staff did not seem troubled when you raised your concerns. We encourage open communication and staff are here to listen and support patients and family members. I am sorry your expectations were not met in this instance.

All our nursing staff are highly trained professionals whose primary responsibility is to ensure the comfort, dignity, safety and wellbeing of the patients in their care. Personal care such as hygiene assistance can be a sensitive matter, especially for elderly people. It is important to know that male nurses, like their female colleagues, are qualified and compassionate care givers who follow strict protocols to maintain privacy, respect and professionalism at all times.

On a more positive note, we are grateful to hear of the Social Worker who was professional, caring and understanding when assisting with your mother’s discharge arrangements. Your kind words have been shared accordingly.

I hope your mother is recovering well.

Kind Regards,

Ben Noteboom

Executive Director

Royal Perth Bentley Group