"Poor clinical care and really poor administrative care"

Recently my sibling had an incomplete suicidal episode and was a police admission to a hospital where they remained for several days in the Emergency Department. With no acute psychiatric bed being available for my sibling there, they were transferred to the Peter James Centre with their clothing, house/car keys and wallet containing cash and credit cards accompanying them in a blue plastic bag. My sibling was told that the bag was to be placed in a cubicle or cubby hole in the nurses' station. Already this raises a concern as I feel it is unlikely that meets with Centre policy on the correct way to store and manage a patient's valuable items.

Arrangements were made for a friend to call in and collect the keys, go to where my sibling had left their vehicle, and take it to a secure location. However, the blue plastic bag could not be located. A search was undertaken and the bag has not been located. It is not possible to follow up on this as there is no administration in the ward where my sibling is located. I believe it is only nursing staff who have no on-going care for matters of this type - their responsibility seems to end with the conclusion of their shift.

I have made complaints to other bodies and if there is no result in 24 hours, I will ask for the police to be contacted to respond to the theft of my sibling's property. I believe it is quite foreseeable that the car keys could be used to steal the vehicle, the credit card transacted, money taken and the house keys used to steal from my sibling's house. I feel that no-one at Peter James seems to be in the least bothered by this. Now... on to the major problems.

(1) My sibling, who is acutely suicidal, refuses to give any assurances that they won't make a further attempt upon release and I believe is receiving very poor clinical care. In the course of a week, they have undergone 3 initial assessments with 3 separate psychiatrists. I feel there can be no continuity of care when they have to relate their story repeatedly to members of the clinical staff. They state that the night shift staff are extremely uncaring, preferring to converse amongst themselves in their own languages and have little time or desire to interact with patients.

(2) My sibling is at Peter James, which provides residential rehabilitation and aged-care services to over 65s. I believe this is a very inappropriate environment to mix dementia patients with my suicidal sibling.

(3) They are being sensory deprived, their room has no telephone (it takes on average 12 minutes for me to be connected with them of an evening when ringing from overseas), they have no suitable books or magazines, no radio, no ability to contact persons via the Internet.

(4) There is no-one of similar age and circumstances who they can converse with. I feel they are every bit as isolated in the Centre as they were in the community.

The above combination is having a very deleterious effect on their mental and physical well-being. I despair. I can only hope that staff can keep my sibling alive until I can return from overseas and involve myself more in their care.