"My eye"

I was working in my garden when something got in my eye. It was extremely painful, so I made my way to the Geraldton Hospital Emergency Department.

When I arrived, the waiting room was empty. I was seen by a trainee nurse. They tried to roll my eye back to get a look at what as stuck in my eye, but they were unsuccessful. They asked me to wait in the room while they went to get their supervisor to help out. After waiting for 20 minutes without anyone coming back to the room, I decided to leave. I was still in pain, but it had eased somewhat.

Upon returning to my car, I decided to call to explain that I was leaving and why. The switchboard operator told me that they were not allowed to put anyone through to the hospital manager. I ended up speaking to a supervisor, who requested I return to the hospital because the nurse’s supervisor was on their way down to see me. At first I was not going to go back in, but made the decision that it was probably best.

When I got back to the room, I was asked to take a seat. The trainee nurse and their supervisor, along with a doctor and another staff member were present. They proceeded to give me a lecture about my choice to leave and call with a complaint. They stated that I don’t realise what they put up with here and that I was lucky to have been seen so quickly. I asked whether they could give me this lecture after they treated my eye. They said that they wouldn’t treat me until I listened to their lecture. At this point I left as it felt to me that it was more important for them to have a go at me, than for them to treat my eye. As I walked out, they said – thanks for your courtesy.

I can appreciate that staff have to manage difficult people on a daily basis, but all I did was leave and explain to them why I was leaving. At the end of the day I just wanted my eye to be treated.