"Emergency admission"

I presented to emergency department at Box Hill Hospital with a rash and swollen tonsils. I had been to the GP twice, and told it was viral and to wait for it to pass.

The triage nurse took my details and my wife and I sat in the waiting area. We were offered teas by a volunteer, which was nice, but I couldn't swallow. A nurse gave me some ice. I was seen in a reasonable time by a junior doctor who examined me, he sought advice from the ED consultant who examined me and quickly diagnosed scarlet fever (strep throat) and quickly arranged for IV antibiotics and isolation.

I stayed in overnight, being examined by ENT and Gen Med Doctors. I was given a head/neck CT and chest x-ray; all in ED which has new and easy to access facilities. The nursing was consistently excellent. The next day I was transferred to Gen Med and admitted onto 6th floor. The care continued to be of a high quality, however I did not see an Infectious Disease Doctor, they were apparently consulted. The pathology results slowly came back, confirming strep throat, not a viral infection.

I was discharged at day 2 on oral antibiotics and told to visit my GP in a week.

My experience was very positive, I am so glad the ED consultant came to examine me and used her experience to diagnose an unusual case.