"Lack of information and wait time"

I had surgery in Albany recently.  A week later I attended my GP as I was concerned about how the knee was looking, colour, swelling and pain.  He advised me to have some blood tests to rule out infection and possible blood clots.  This was done the same day. He also said if I was at all concerned over the weekend to attend ED.

Over the weekend I was able to access my blood results which concerned me and I decided to play safe and go to the hospital.  After being triaged and a short wait I was seen by a lovely doctor and we discussed my concerns. The doctor thought it would be a good idea to have an ultrasound done to rule out the possibility of a clot and they left to organise this.  A short time later they returned and told me that unfortunately it could not be done that day (Sunday) as there was no one in the radiology dept to do it and ED were not  allowed to call in someone.  They suggested I come back first thing on Monday morning and they would leave the necessary form at Triage for me to collect. I thought that I would just collect it and go along the corridor to I-Med.  Not so!

This is where is all fell apart as far as I am concerned.

On presenting at Triage I explained the situation, yes they had the form.  I was again Triaged and told to go to ED admin to have my details confirmed (again).  Then to take a seat. At this point I was still not told how the system worked and I thought I would be given the paperwork.  I asked a nurse and they said I had to wait to be seen. Eventually I was moved to the waiting area near the ED Admin to wait.  Approx 11am I was taken down to I-Med by an orderly in a wheelchair and waited another 15 minutes in their holding bay.  After the ultrasound I went back to the ED Admin waiting room and waited and waited and waited.  Eventually someone came out and suggested that we go and have some lunch as they were awaiting the results from I-Med.  These eventually came a few hours later and thankfully everything was OK. 

I would like to add that I was not alone in this experience.  Those patients waiting like myself had enough time together to become acquainted as we all had been there most of the day. We left these new found friends still waiting when we left at around 4pm. Home by 4.30pm.

Questions:  Why are patients Triaged in one area then asked to walk 50 paces to check details and be given a hospital band only to walk back to Triage to sit and wait.  There must be a better more streamlined process.

As you come in the front door you automatically go towards the ED Admin desk as this seems logical.  Surely walking into Triage would be better and having the admin clerk located there. This is an observation.

Why did I have to be Triaged all over again on Monday (not even 24 hours later) and go through the hoops when I could have taken the form and gone to I-Med myself (which I thought was going to happen).  I'm certain this would have been quicker than spending the best part of a day trying to sit comfortably, having had surgery barely a week before.

This is not a complaint about the doctors and nurses who were all lovely.  It is more a conclusion that the system could do with a review and better communication (at the beginning) to the patient about what would happen going forward.