My elderly mother presented to Armadale Hospital Emergency Department recently with difficulty breathing. She had been diagnosed with a chest infection 4 days earlier but deteriorated over the following days. After seeing your staff in emergency, she was then diagnosed with viral bronchitis. She spent 3 days in the MAU ward before being transferred to the Colyer Ward on the third day. She was discharged the following day.
I would like to make some comments regarding her stay.
The treatment by all staff in emergency was exemplary and she was made to feel comfortable and informed. She was treated with respect in all dealings with the doctors, nurses and other staff.
Once in the MAU ward, things went downhill.
• The patient next to her played music quite loudly and was not asked to adjust the volume until quite late into the evening.
• The telephone caused quite a lot of angst. The cord is too short to reach anywhere near the bed or bedside table. The ringtone is so low, my mother could not hear it or see the light flashing to know the phone was ringing. Her family was connected to the phone, but Mum could not answer it, even if she could have known it was ringing. This meant we had to call the main hospital number again and ask to be connected to the ward, explain the problem and hope they would take the phone to her. On one occasion, my mother wanted to call me. The ward clerk refused to assist, only saying Mum would have to use a credit card or pay cash to make an outgoing call. Mum was made to feel a nuisance and the demeanour of the staff member was quite rude and offensive. Mum explained to them that she did not have any cash or a credit card, to which they simply shrugged and walked away. On the morning of my mother's discharge, I tried to call the bedside phone and once again it rang out. I called again and was connected to the ward clerk. After asking to speak to my mother I was told no, she would not take the phone. When I explained my Mum is elderly and can’t reach the phone, the asked who is the patient? I told the ward clerk my mother's name and said which bed she was in. I was promptly told no, she is not. I said to the clerk that we have had the phone taken to her for the past few days, and they said they would not do it anymore and was told I would have to come in to speak to my Mum. I then asked where she was, if not in the bed I thought she was, and was told by the clerk they didn’t know and to ring the main hospital number. I was quite distressed by this reaction and hung up and rang the main number to be told my mother had been moved to another ward.
It is quite obvious this ward clerk should not be working in a department that requires some degree of compassion and understanding of the patient's needs, particularly with the elderly with limited mobility. I felt they were rude and abrupt and need to undertake some interpersonal skills training.
If the ringing tone on the telephone is kept low to prevent disturbance to other patients, why are patients permitted to play music and television to a volume that is loud and does disturb patients in a ward that is for observation?
"Issues on the ward"
About: Armadale Hospital / Colyer Surgical & Medical Ward Armadale Hospital Colyer Surgical & Medical Ward Armadale 6112 Armadale Hospital / Emergency Department Armadale Hospital Emergency Department Armadale 6112 Armadale Hospital / Medical Admissions Unit Armadale Hospital Medical Admissions Unit Armadale 6112
Posted by angry daughter (as ),
Responses
See more responses from Diane Barr