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Emergency Wait times and no beds.

Posted By Sick Of waiting

"Emergency Wait times and no beds."

About: Rockingham General Hospital / Emergency Department

(as a relative),

My child had excruciating pain in their right side and attended rockingham Emergency Department at 4:30pm. At the time of writing this a couple of days ago, it was 12:19 am, 8 hours later and we are still sitting here waiting. No beds available. We were told there was one person in front of my child 2 hours ago. Now there is apparently 2 people in front of them. My child has had blood taken and no one has seen them about the results, their urine sample is still sitting in the pigeon hole with their paperwork. These seats are meant to be fast track seats but there is absolutely nothing fast about them at all in my experience. Absolutely ridiculous!

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Responses

Response from Asheila Narang, Executive Director, Rockingham Peel Group, South Metropolitan Health Service 2 weeks ago
Asheila Narang
Executive Director, Rockingham Peel Group,
South Metropolitan Health Service

Submitted on 8/05/2026 at 5:49 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia on 11/05/2026 at 8:59 AM

picture of Asheila Narang

Dear 'Sick Of waiting',

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience about your child’s visit to the Emergency Department at Rockingham General Hospital. I am very sorry to hear that you and your child spent such a long time waiting in the Emergency Department. I can understand how difficult and distressing this would have been for both of you, especially when you were worried about their condition. I hope your child is now recovering well.

Emergency Departments aim to see patients as quickly as possible, but waiting times can vary depending on the number of people attending and how unwell they are. Patients are seen based on clinical need, with the most urgent cases treated first. We recognise that this can be frustrating and stressful, particularly for families, and we are sorry for the impact this had on your experience.

You mentioned concerns about the waiting and care environment. To support patient comfort and safety, our team may use different treatment spaces, including Fast Track chairs, when this is clinically appropriate. This allows us to begin care sooner and monitor patients more closely than in the waiting room where possible. We understand this may not always feel comfortable or expected, and we are sorry if this was not clearly explained at the time. We also want patients and families to feel confident to speak up if they are worried. There is a service called Aishwarya’s CARE Call, which allows patients and families to raise concerns directly if they feel their condition is worsening or they need more urgent attention. Our waiting room is also supported by nursing staff who regularly check on patients and escalate any concerns. I am sorry if this process was not clearly visible or explained during your visit.

Your feedback is important to us because it helps us understand where we can improve. We have shared your experience with the Emergency Department leadership team to reinforce the importance of clear communication about waiting times, care spaces, and escalation options. We are also using feedback like yours to strengthen how we support and communicate with families during long waits.

While Care Opinion is a confidential platform, we are unable to review or discuss specific details of your child’s care here. If you would like this to be looked into further, we encourage you to contact our Consumer Liaison Officers on 9559 4323 or via RGH.feedback@health.wa.gov.au so we can follow this up with you directly.

Thank you again for sharing your experience with us and we wish your child all the very best in their recovery.

Kind regards,

Asheila Narang,
Executive Director
Rockingham Peel Group

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by Sick Of waiting (a relative)

Hi, appreciate the response however after posting this my child sat there for another 4 hours before being seen by a different doctor who then sent them home in pain with Oxy codone and told them to make a GP appointment and get a referral for an Ultrasound. The Perth Radiological Clinic asked why it wasn’t done in Hospital and when my child told them their story they waived the fees for the Ultrasound and said themselves “that’s unacceptable”.

On top of this after spending an absolutely ludicrous 12.5 hours in Rockingham Emergency Department for nothing the medical note this doctor gave my child ticked fit for work instead of unfit for work so not only did my child end up in Fiona Stanley Hospital the next day still in excruciating pain they had to make a Telehealth appointment with our family GP to have the correct information put on their certificate for work.

I feel the level of care and the wait time was not suitable despite your previous comments and whilst I know you can not discuss nor reveal other patient details, I recall the patients being brought through emergency after my child were not triaged for a bed because some of them in there who were given beds spent more time walking around the place causing trouble than laying in their beds.

I believe the father, the mother and the baby laying on the fastrack couch next to us could have really used a room and bed for the time they waited which was longer than us and he had pretty much cut his finger off. In my opinion, the level of care was not acceptable on that day.

Response from Asheila Narang, Executive Director, Rockingham Peel Group, South Metropolitan Health Service last week
Asheila Narang
Executive Director, Rockingham Peel Group,
South Metropolitan Health Service

Submitted on 12/05/2026 at 10:43 AM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 12:25 PM

picture of Asheila Narang

Dear 'Sick Of waiting',

Thank you for your response and for providing additional feedback. I am sincerely sorry to hear that your child’s condition did not improve and that they required re‑presentation to Fiona Stanley Hospital the following day.

You also mentioned inaccuracies in the medical certificate provided. I acknowledge that accuracy is essential when completing documentation and appreciate how frustrating it would have been to identify an incorrect selection, particularly following an extended visit to the department. The RGH Emergency Department has an allocated administrative assistant available to liaise with both patients and medical staff, and they would be more than happy to assist in arranging a corrected certificate for you.

Given the details you have provided relating to your child’s presentation, care, and treatment, I encourage you to formally lodge your feedback (along with your consent) with our Consumer Liaison Officers. This can be done by contacting 08 9559 4323 or emailing RGH.feedback@health.wa.gov.au This process will allow us the opportunity to further review and investigate your child’s visit, provide a more comprehensive response to your concerns, and consider any areas for improvement within our service.

RGH is committed to ensuring that our patients, families, and visitors feel safe, supported, and cared for, and that they have the confidence to return to our service whenever the need arises.

Kind regards,

Asheila Narang
Executive Director
Rockingham Peel Group

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
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