"Feel like we were a burden"

I am a carer for my adult child who has a disability and had a recent stay at the hospital in Manjimup. 

Well, I have my child's permission to act on their behalf but both they and my family are disgusted in the way my child was treated. 

Thir first admission was mid to late Oct. 

I do not let my child handle their medication, let alone leave it on a table in front of them and tell them to take it in an hour's time. My child was admitted because of trying to self-harm with medications. I don’t care if it was only antibiotics. 

Finding medication on the floor that has been dropped and left there is unacceptable. What happens if a child or baby was around and decided to eat the tablet. 

Bed linen l left unchanged for a week is unacceptable in a hospital. When asked can we get it changed, we were still waiting when I got back that afternoon so I stripped the bed myself and told the nurse I want clean sheets I will do it myself. 

Excuse from nursing staff after they gave the wrong medication to my child was that they had a busy shift. The nurses did and they didn’t see the correct meds on the chart.

Once again this isn’t acceptable. Given to the wrong person, they could have been in a lot more trouble.

Second admission, the same thing with an unmade bed. My child had the same sheets for a week. I feel this is very bad for a hospital.

On leaving the second time, I approached a nurse who I buzzed and asked them if there were any new medications that my child needs before we get discharged as they have their tablets made into a Webster pack. The nurse said no, all the medications are the same as when they first arrived. Myself, my partner and child were all present when I asked. Then I said, are we ok to go then that nurse said yes and good luck.

Third admission more recently was back up to the Emergency Department with my child and by now I am pretty angry and only to be told that when my child was previously discharged, they weren't given the correct medicine to go home with and that what the doctors gave them in the hospital is not what is in their Webster pack. 

Seriously I asked the nurse at the time and told them to look. If that nurse hadn’t stuffed up and did their job properly, then my child would not be back in hospital. 

The excuse we received was that we left the hospital early. 

It wasn’t early. My child got their discharge all done early and we were at the hospital in the afternoon to pick them up. I feel this is another excuse to cover themselves.

I believe no-one in this hospital wants to take responsibility for what is happening I am really disgusted with the treatment and care we have received.

On the most recent admission, I am lucky I took my child some dinner up because in the morning I was told that by my child that they brought them an empty dinner tray and no meal. Apparently the kitchen was called to organise a meal but nothing came.

I have asked on a Thursday to speak to someone in charge at the hospital. I was told a clinician will come down and see me. Well on Saturday afternoon still nothing. 

I am disgusted and I am taking this matter further as, thanks to the nursing staff, they distressed my child even more and if they had done their job properly today, I would have been home with my child celebrating a special occasion with them. 

Next hospital visit definitely won’t be in Manjimup. I will be taking them to a different hospital.