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"Poor Treatment"

About: Fiona Stanley Hospital / Emergency Department

(as a parent/guardian),

My (adult) child was admitted to hospital with a suspected case of drink spiking. They were really unwell and at the start I found the doctors at Fiona Stanley emergency to be sympathetic. However this changed.

My child was out with friends at a bar and although it was obvious they had some drinks and had a raised alcohol level, I believe it was clear their symptoms was not alcohol related. The Dr asked whether they had taken any substances and their partner who was with my child all day confirmed they did not consume any drugs. We repeatedly told the Dr this is out of character for my child and they are very much anti drugs and that this is a clear case of drink spiking.

I asked the Dr if they can test to see if my child had any drug in their system. The answer was no, as it is very expensive and of no use???

How can a patient present with these severe symptoms and the Dr asks the family whether drugs were consumed but then told no, a drug screening is not done??? It was clearly a potential criminal offence and as a result we have no legal proof of this!

We were told to go to the police in the morning yet when we went to the police they asked if the hospital had done a test???

What is more upsetting is how my child was treated by the Initial Dr on their case. As soon as it was confirmed they had a slightly high level of blood alcohol, it seemed their whole demeanour changed to being quite cold. The feeling I got was that this is a young person who brought this on themselves so no sympathy.  

This despite us insisting this is uncharacteristic and our concerns were ignored. We have since learnt that a test was possible and should have been done if the there was the slight belief my child had been drugged. We now have no legal proof.

A Dr who took over later in the night gave my child one look and their words were " this is a clear case of ghp withdrawal "! Again nothing was done after this statement!!!

Surely a person would hope that our hospitals would do the right things when someone comes in really unwell as a result of illegal acts against them. Should the police not have been contacted by the police on the night and report the event?

My issue is not with the nursing staff as they looked after my child beautifully with respect and empathy. My issue is with  Dr seemingly not listening to the family and treating the matter as an offence committed against my child.

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Responses

Response from Luke Dix, Acting Executive Director, Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospital Group, South Metropolitan Health Service 3 months ago
Luke Dix
Acting Executive Director, Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospital Group,
South Metropolitan Health Service
Submitted on 26/03/2026 at 4:21 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia on 27/03/2026 at 4:22 PM


picture of Luke Dix

Dear ‘ loveqg77 ’

I can only imagine what a difficult and distressing time this has all been for your family. I appreciate you contacting us to outline your experience your child had while attending Fiona Stanley Hospital’s (FSH) Emergency Department (ED), and the impact this has had on you and your family.

Given the serious nature of a potential drink-spiking incident, it is only understandable that you arrived at our ED expecting for these concerns to be heard, thoroughly assessed, and managed with sensitivity and clear communication. I am truly sorry that this was not your experience.

I acknowledge how important it is for families to feel heard, particularly when advocating for a loved one who is acutely unwell. I am especially concerned by your perception that your concerns were not fully considered, and that the clinical approach appeared to change once alcohol consumption was identified. Regardless of alcohol intake, every patient presenting unwell deserves care that is respectful, compassionate, and free from judgement. I sincerely apologise if this was not reflected in your child’s experience.

I also understand the confusion which you have outlined regarding the lack of clear explanation around testing decisions and how this may have contributed to difficulties when engaging with police. Clear and timely communication is essential, particularly in serious and distressing circumstances such as these.

Despite the concerning matters you have raised, particularly pertaining to communication, it was reassuring to read that the nursing staff caring for your child provided compassionate and respectful care, and I will ensure this positive feedback is shared.

I hope to reassure you that this feedback has been shared with our Emergency Department Service Management Team. However, due to the anonymity of this platform we will be unable to investigate this matter to the extent we would like to without further details. If you feel comfortable doing so, 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 enable us to investigate and respond to the best of our ability.

Thank you again for sharing your concerns.

Kind regards,

Luke Dix

A/Executive Director

Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group

South Metropolitan Health Service

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