"Treatment of our toddler"

Our toddler severed their finger at home and we were taken by ambulance to Maroondah. En-route we requested the Royal Children's, but was advised that Maroondah is closest and that's where we were going.

Upon arrival around 4pm and inspection we were told they don't operate on kids under 4! The Ambos should have known this.

We were told we would be transferred to Box Hill who had a child plastic surgery team, hopefully that evening, but that never occurred.

I had to request multiple times throughout the night for more ice to keep our toddler's severed digit cold. We felt it was ignored by the nurses.

I also had to request pain relief for our toddler 3 times before it was actually administered. In my opinion, this was ridiculous as our toddler had a severed finger! Our toddler never got any pain relief at all until around midnight!

The next morning Maroondah plastic surgery team advised us that our toddler's finger would no longer be able to be reattached due to the length of time and lack of blood supply and the nurses let the ice all melt containing our toddler's finger.

10am still no bed was available at Box Hill. 

11am still no bed free at Box Hill

12pm antibiotics were given nearly 21 hours after the incident occurred!

Throughout the night/morning we had asked the doctors and nurses multiple times if we could drive to Box Hill or the Royal Children's but were told no, we must remain here. 

12:45pm we had enough of waiting to be transferred to Box Hill and took our toddler to the Children's Hospital instead and was seen to immediately. 

By 5:30pm our toddler was being prepped for surgery and by 10pm we were back home with their finger reattached!

Why was our baby accepted by Maroondah Hospital who could not clearly provide for our toddler's needs? 

Why was it as parents, our responsibility to ensure appropriate storage of our baby's fingertip? 

Why considering the circumstances was no regular analgesia administered, nor taken seriously, as having a severed finger - below fingernail would no doubt be very uncomfortable in anyone let alone a child? 

Why weren’t other options exhausted and maybe other arrangements put in place as Eastern Health was unable to care for our toddler and undertake the necessary surgery that they required within a 24 hour time frame? 

 What would have been the outcome if we didn’t leave and take our baby to The Royal Children's Hospital like we did and we entrusted in Eastern Health and its doctors? 

 I believe this was a complete lack of duty of care at many levels that do not align with the hospitals vision of “great care, everywhere, every time”.

 We look forward to your reply.