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When will it end?

Posted By Notsojazzytoday

"When will it end?"

About: Princess Margaret Hospital for Children

(as a parent/guardian),

At Rockingham Diabetes Clinic I received paperwork for the longitudinal type 1 and type 2 diabetes plasma and serum repository (LDPSR) and I said to the diabetes educator my child has already done this and her blood and DNA are already banked. The educator replied, it is because they have lost your consent form. (This is the second time I have been told that Princess Margaret Hospital have lost personal and private medical records and this is totally unacceptable to me).

Also while at Rockingham Clinic I found the new staff completely incompetent. The social worker was surprised when I said that my child should weigh their breakfast and the social worker seemed to have no knowledge of a diabetic routine and what they go through.

The educator seemed unable to answer any of my questions and also unable to answer any of the questions regarding the paperwork she had just handed to me like she hadn't even read them.

The doctor also didn't want to sign my school diabetes management plan which the school requires to be signed by the diabetes care team doctor. My friend got her management plan signed no problem the week before. I told the doctor that I know for a fact that the school won't accept it without it being signed. She suggested getting the school liaison officer to talk to the school which I initially thought was a great idea until she requested I sign a consent form so the school liaison officer could act on my behalf.

If the Education Department wants school management plans signed by a doctor and the doctors don't want to sign the management plan, then that should be between the doctors and the Education Department. Needless to say I did not sign the consent form.

I have absolutely had it with the Rockingham Diabetes Clinic. I'm pretty sure I have made up my mind that we are not going back. I'm convinced they are actually trying to get rid of us so the government can go ahead with what I believe is the already discussed plan to close the clinics and have us see a GP for our treatment.

So mad words can't describe how I feel.

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Responses

Response from Tim Jones, Co-Director Medicine, Child and Adolescent Health Service - WA 6 years ago
Tim Jones
Co-Director Medicine,
Child and Adolescent Health Service - WA

Head of Department

Submitted on 9/02/2018 at 3:37 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 4:06 PM

Dear Notsojazzytoday,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your recent experience at the diabetes clinic. I’m very sorry to hear that you have had such a bad experience that you don’t want to go back to the clinic. We take these matters extremely seriously and I have investigated this matter as a priority.

I have flagged your concerns with the staff at the clinic, who are extremely disappointed that they did not meet your expectations and that you found them to be incompetent.

Firstly, I apologise that your child’s consent form was lost and that you were asked to sign another one. I understand that this would be not only annoying, but a cause for concern for your child’s sensitive patient information. While our staff are meticulous, unfortunately, due to human error, forms and referrals can on occasion be lost or misfiled. I’m also sorry over the trouble you had with the school plan, we know that school time needs a lot of attention for a child with diabetes and the staff should have appreciated this and helped.

I would like to assure you that our staff are sincerely committed to providing excellent care to their patients, and so the staff at the clinic hope that you will see fit to give them another opportunity to provide a more satisfactory experience for you and your daughter. Working with families with diabetes for 30 years I am aware of how difficult diabetes can be and how much support the children and their families deserve and should receive.

Notwithstanding this, our first priority is to deliver exceptional care to your child, and for us it is critically important to maintain a good relationship with families and children with diabetes. If you would prefer to be seen at PMH, please contact the PMH Endocrinology Department on 93408090 (ask for Luise) and they will be able to assist you.

I hope this information is helpful and trust that your future encounters with our services will be an improvement on this regrettable occasion.

Best wishes,

Dr Tim Jones
Head of Department Diabetes and Endocrinology
Princess Margaret Hospital

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Response from Victor Cheng, Executive Director, Operations, Child and Adolescent Health Service 6 years ago
Victor Cheng
Executive Director, Operations,
Child and Adolescent Health Service

Submitted on 9/02/2018 at 3:39 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 4:08 PM

picture of Victor Cheng

Dear Notsojazzytoday,

Thank you for your post. I wholeheartedly agree with Dr Jones about the critical importance of maintaining a good relationship with families and children with diabetes, and that our first priority is to deliver exceptional care to your child. Clearly we have let you down in this area, and I am sorry for that. In addition to Dr Jones’ comments I would also like to assure you that there is no intention to close any diabetes clinics.

PMH values honest feedback to help us improve our services and the care we provide to our patients. I have also passed your feedback on to our Chief Executive, Dr Robyn Lawrence, to make her aware of this matter.

I hope that your future interactions with our services are far more positive but if you should encounter any further issues, or wish to change clinics, please do contact Luise at the PMH Endocrinology Department. Alternatively, you can contact the Child and Family Engagement Service via PMHCLS@health.wa.gov.au or call 9340 8315, who will endeavour to assist you.

Please accept my very best wishes for your child.

Kind regards

Dr Victor Cheng
Executive Director
Princess Margaret Hospital

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