"Lack of communication and urgency"

Dear liberatorwm35

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience regarding your partner’s recent admission to Royal Perth Hospital. I want to sincerely acknowledge both you and your partner and express that I am very sorry for the distress and disappointment you experienced during what we recognise is already an anxious and vulnerable time for families.

I am particularly concerned to hear about the lack of communication throughout the surgical day, including the extended time you waited without any update, not being contacted when your partner awoke from surgery, and the need for you to proactively call the hospital to seek information. While extended time in theatre can sometimes occur due to the procedure taking longer than anticipated and/or delays transferring to a recovery or ward bed, we appreciate that without clear communication this uncertainty can be extremely worrying for families. Although staff do not routinely make outbound calls during these delays, we would always aim to respond promptly to family enquiries, and it is clear that this experience fell short of what you reasonably expected and what we strive to provide.

I also acknowledge your concerns regarding pain management overnight, missed meals, and the length of time between physiotherapy clearance and discharge. These issues, taken together, understandably left you feeling unsupported and disappointed in the care provided.

Please be assured that your feedback is important. If you would like, our Patient Experience team can work with you to formally capture your concerns and ensure they are shared with the relevant surgical team and ward so that they can be reviewed and learned from. This process is an important part of helping us improve communication, coordination of care, and the overall experience for patients and families.

Should you be willing to take the time to share more information with us, you are welcome to contact the Patient Experience team on (08) 9224 1637 or via email at rpbg.feedback@health.wa.gov.au, and they will be happy to assist you. Alternatively, you can let us know here on Care Opinion which area of the hospital your partner was staying in after their surgery so we can share your experience with them directly.

Thank you again for raising your concerns and for taking the time to share this feedback on Care Opinion.

Please extend our well wishes to your partner as they continue their recovery.

Ben Noteboom

Executive Director

Royal Perth Bentley Group