"ED Food"

I took my spouse to Swan Hill ED with chest pain they were treated straight away by a wonderful team of Drs and Nurses. My spouse is a palliative cancer patient & has been treated by Peter Mac Melbourne for the last 12 years.  Staff could not find any record of my spouse being a swan hill palliative care patient.

Drs did many test and found their chest pain was not sign of heart attack its was the cancer causing the pain. Dr had my spouses's wrong name and contacted Peter mac and then came and said Peter Mac have no record of you being a patient we gave them the patient no & Dr rang Peter mac back and got patient record.

My spouse was kept over night in ED and was to go on the ward for another 24 hours for monitoring requested by Peter Mac melbourne. My spouse waited in ED another full day and still no bed on ward was made available. At all times all the staff looked after my spouse very well. My spouse's pain was under control. Dr explained that the only care they would give  was to keep my spouse comfortable and control pain which was understood. On the following day my spouse was not offered tea/coffee or water. Their Nurses change over told my spouse that they did not know if my spouse could eat or drink when my spouse asked.

At around 5 oclock still no bed available & not being allowed to eat or drink my spouse decided they wanted to go home & have something to eat and get some sleep. Ed is understandably very busy noisy place.

Once my spouse told nurse they were going home because my spouse was hungry thirsty tired the nurse became angry. During this time food trays came around from kitchen the kitchen staff and nurses had heated discussion about needing more food for patients because nurses forgot to order we watched and heard it all. After some time had passed a different nurse had another patient's tray of food that the patient had decided they didn’t won’t to eat and they brought it over to nurse and said use this my patient doesn't want it. We were shocked to then be given the tray that had been with another patient it was slammed down on table next to my spouse who refused to eat food that had been with another patient due to cross-contamination & they told the nurses to take it away my spouse. 

The nurse became angry and tried to say that what we had just witnessed did not happen. We watch and heard all this food problems going on as our curtain was open and we watch tray of food come from one patient to another??? We are shocked that they seemingly didn’t realize that food that had been with another patient’s couldn’t be given to someone else just in case they may have tried it or open it cough on it or anything. Nurses was angry yelling at both me and my spouse and they repeatedly stated they had no idea about if my spouse could eat or drink because my spouse only came on shift at 1.30. we would of thought the nurse would of had change over or read notes or simply go and find out it had been 4 hours since nurse came on shift and my spouse still had no idea and states that several times.

We had been explained by Drs that comfort care was all that was to be given no medical intervention to save my spouse's life. One Nurse didn’t know that comfort include a cup of tea or water a biscuit??? 

During this going on a bed had finally became available on the ward my spouse refused and said they wanted to go home they were thirsty & hungry & tired and upset by this stage. Nurse became angry stormed off got discharge papers got my spouse to sign discharge papers and we left. Overall care was wonderful with 12 years of hospital treatment & care we have never seen patients share food trays and don’t think that is a very safe thing to do.

Last chemo was 4 months ago and my spouse's immune system has been compromised..My spouse does not eat large amounts of food they have small amounts more frequently. I also told nurse i could go get my spouse something to eat. Swan Hill hospital Ed is a kind considerate & helpful and we are grateful for there medical help & pain relief perhaps some nurses need to be educated in food cross contamination or the sharing of food trays between patients.