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"Emergency Department treatment"

About: Armadale Hospital / Emergency Department

(as a relative),

Attended with my spouse who had been king-hit. Seen in ED that day and told to return if their symptoms got worse which we did. I felt the triage staff were not helpful and an administrative staff member so rude to us and, I believe, others.

Eventually we were taken in the main area only to be told to return to the waiting room as there were no beds. I could see 3 empty trolleys. My spouse didn't even sit on the trolley before they were sent back out. The nurse who brought us in was very apologetic and, in my opinion, was obviously embarrassed. 

As an ED clinician, I was very disappointed and believe I can see why people lose their tempers. One young person was rolling around in what seemed to be agony, begging for pain relief which I believe was not given although two nurses walked right past this person. In my opinion, you should up your game Armadale.

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Responses

Response from Diane Barr, Executive Director, Armadale Kalamunda Group 4 years ago
Diane Barr
Executive Director,
Armadale Kalamunda Group
Submitted on 13/01/2020 at 11:33 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 11:37 AM


picture of Diane Barr

Dear izarsq65,

Thank you for getting in contact with us. I am very sorry to hear about your experience. The care you describe does not align with the standards expected by myself and the Emergency Department (ED) leadership team.

There is never an excuse for rudeness at the frontline. I am sure you were very worried for your spouse and this behaviour would have been quite unsettling.

Our ED team overall are very committed to safe, quality and patient-centred care. A number of quality programs have been driven over the past year at Armadale; one in particular ‘Walk a Day in my Shoes’. This program’s objective is to provide frontline staff with education based on patient experience to ensure every interaction with patients, families and carers demonstrates compassion and empathy.

The behaviour of the individuals you describe is unacceptable and is extremely disappointing. Once again I sincerely apologise.

Please be assured your experience will be provided back to the frontline ED. Patient stories are the most powerful in changing behaviours and assisting staff to understand the impact of their behaviour.

We would appreciate the opportunity to look into your concerns more specifically and invite you and your partner to contact us via our Consumer Liaison Office on (08) 9391 1153 or AKG_ConsumerLiaison@health.wa.gov.au so we can discuss further.

Thank you again for sharing your experience, and I hope your spouse is now recovering well.

Kind regards

Di Barr

Executive Director

Armadale Kalamunda Group

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