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My care

Posted By tinkerbell#76

"My care"

About: Fiona Stanley Hospital / Breast Service & Ward 6A Fiona Stanley Hospital / Burns Department & Ward 4B Fiona Stanley Hospital / General Outpatient Clinics Fiona Stanley Hospital / Plastic Surgery

(as the patient),

I had major surgery late last year, the care I got from plastics was a disgrace. I had a drain that wasn’t draining and they knew that for days and then removed it then it pissed out with fluid not once but 3 times, then day 5 I was discharged with no drains in and was sent home with no after care.

Come 9 days later I had appointment with my breast care nurse and when she saw me she knew something was wrong. I was in so much pain, then she got the photographer to take pictures, and I believe she was disgusted how I was sent home. Then I was admitted back into hospital as I was told on the Friday I was going back to surgery to have a drain put back in. Then I waited and waited and to be told late on a Saturday afternoon i wasn’t having surgery that I’m going to have an ultrasound to have 3 seromas drained on the Monday, and then I was sent home.

A couple of weeks later I had an appointment at outpatient plastics and sat there for almost 4 hours and saw the doctor and nurse and the doctor asked were my drains were, I said I don’t have any and then the nurse cleaned my stomach and breast and sent me home with bandaids and cream.

Come 3 nights later, on a weekend, I had to call my niece to come look at my stomach as it was red and puss was coming out and she cleaned it up. So the next day I rang plastics out patient for someone to call me back and then they called me while I was on my way to Rockingham hospital, they said they couldn’t get me in for someone to check my stomach. I sat at the hospital for 6 hours and had bloods done to see if the infection hasn’t gone to my markers, now recently I have to go back to Rockingham hospital to have ultrasound as they are checking for build up fluid in my stomach.

I will not recommend FSH to anyone as I’m very disappointed as I received better care from the nurses than the doctors. It’s been several weeks since my surgery.

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Responses

Response from Luke Dix, Acting Executive Director, Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospital Group, South Metropolitan Health Service 7 hours ago
Luke Dix
Acting Executive Director, Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospital Group,
South Metropolitan Health Service

Submitted on 20/01/2026 at 11:10 AM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 11:11 AM

picture of Luke Dix

Dear Tinkerbell#76,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience following your recent surgery at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH). Given the complexity of what you have outlined I can understand how difficult this would have been to do.

Firstly, please let me express how truly sorry I am to hear that your recovery was more difficult than it should have been and that aspects of your care caused you additional pain and distress. This is not the experience we want for any of our patients.

It is concerning to read about the issues you experienced in relation to your post-operative drain management. Following breast surgery, patient should have drains routinely monitored by nursing staff for output volume, colour, and function. The output is documented on the fluid balance chart daily and reviewed each shift. Nursing staff are expected to escalate any concerns promptly to the breast surgical team for review and drains are generally removed when output meets the surgeon’s criteria, or earlier if clinically indicated, as occurred in your situation.

For patients discharged without drains, our usual process includes education regarding expected post-operative changes and warning signs that would require urgent review. This education is provided prior to surgery and is supported with written post-surgical instructions and a breast care information pack. Following discharge, Silver Chain and Hospital in the Home (HITH) services provide care in accordance with the breast surgeon’s post-operative instructions and are advised to contact the unit should any concerns arise. I regret this was not communicated clearly to you and acknowledge how difficult it can be when your recovery does not progress as expected.

Routine follow-up appointments typically occur approximately two weeks after surgery. However, some patients may be reviewed earlier in the Breast Care Nurse clinic if clinically indicated, such as when pressure dressings are in place. Any post-operative concerns raised prior to scheduled follow-up are triaged by the Breast Care Nurse via telephone or email, with escalation to the clinical team for urgent review when required.

Please be assured that patient safety and the delivery of high-quality care are our highest priorities at FSH. I am genuinely sorry that your post-operative experience did not reflect these standards.

As this is an anonymous platform, I am limited in the level of detail I can provide about your individual care. I encourage you to contact our Patient and Family Liaison Service (PFLS) on (08) 6152 4013 during business hours or via email at FSHFeedback@health.wa.gov.au. This will allow us to investigate the concerns you have raised and provide you with a more complete response.

Thank you again for reaching out, your feedback helps us identify opportunities to improve the care we provide. Please do not hesitate to reach out so that we can assist you directly.

Kind regards

Luke Dix

A/Executive Director

Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospital Group

South Metropolitan Health Service

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