"The Level of Care received after MVA"

I was involved in a car accident recently, at the scene emergency services turned up and could not fault the care that the Paramedics provided at the time, obviously due to shock and adrenalin I decided to not go to the hospital as I thought I was ok, a few hours later I was taken to urgent care in Edgewater in which I was then triaged by a nurse after explaining what had happened she spoke to a Dr who then advised that I needed to be seen before any further action taken. Then sent back to the waiting room, approx 1.5/2 hr later I was called in by another Dr in which I had explain what had happened once again in which she then advised that I should have been sent to hospital immediately in which she organised a Ambulance (priority 2) to collect me in which I was put in a neck brace and taken to Joondalup hospital.

I was wheeled into the corridor details taken and then left lying on the ambulance bed for 1 hr or more then transferred onto another bed more a little further down the corridor once again left without being told anything.  At 11.30pm roughly I had the attention of a nurse in which I proceeded to tell them I needed to go to the bathroom in which I recall they rolled their eye scofted at me and then told me that they had to get people to come help. Well, for someone that had been told potentially had a spinal injury stuck lying on a bed starring at a ceiling I felt that being treated like that firstly is disgusting, seemingly like I was too much of an burden on their watch, not like I could just get up and go to the bathroom. 

Eventually I was assisted and stuck in a tiny little room no bigger than a storage cupboard in which I was unable to go feeling extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable with the situation.  At approx 1 am after still not being seen or spoken to finally yet again got the attention of the nurse and asked when I was being seen in which they then proceeded to tell me it was a 7hr wait in which I was unlikely to be seen potentially by anyone until 4am that morning.  I had children at home alone, confused concerned and stressed, I recall the nurses answer was they would be fine which is not their call to make and, in my opinion, also not something that someone being told potentially having a spinal injury needed to be treated or spoken to in that way. 

Considering I was send thru as a priority 2 I did not feel like the hospital treated me in anyway in how they should have regardless if they were unstaffed or not. I should have been advised that it was a 7hr wait when I arrived in which I could have someone go be with my kids and I would have been prepared for a long night and also been able to sort out my business prior to 1am in the morning which is extremely difficult to organise staff at that time as you could imagine. I felt absolutely no respect or compassion from the nurse or staff from the beginning to the end. In which in the end I left and went home, I believe, risking my health due to the lack of treatment provided by Joondalup, I will never go back there ever again.  

The following day I ended up at Sir Charles Gardener and well that was a completely different experience and I have nothing by praise from the moment I step into ED to the time I left which was around 3 hours roughly. I felt it was the best treatment by all staff from the first nurse to the 2 Dr, Sonographers and everyone else nothing was to hard everyone was helpful and kept me at ease throughout the entire time I was there.

In a country like Australia I believe that this is not what our hospitals should be like. I think they need to start doing better.