"Waiting time in the ED"

I was assaulted and had to go to ED at the Sydney Eye Hospital.  I came in and there were a lot of people there but I had a head injury and was attended to straight away, within 5 minutes, in triage. I had also very recently had spinal fusion surgery.  The triage nurse was sympathetic and very detailed, asking me the relevant information that would assist the doctors. She was quite attentive. I was taken through inside where the triage nurse has her own office and given Endone. I then sat outside of the office and that was where I was seen by the doctor.

The doctor took me to another room to see my range of movement and I had to take my shirt off so they were able to make an assessment. The door remained open but at that point, I didn’t care because I was in too much pain. I then had to get a CAT scan done for damage based on the injury to my head and neck. I then went back outside the triage office and waited for the CAT Scan. The person who did the scan was very attentive and professional. I then sat back out in that waiting area.

I waited and I could feel the pain coming. I waited and waited thinking maybe this will pass. Waited about 30 minutes after it had worn off and hadn’t been reviewed. I then approached a nurse and asked if possible for more pain medication because it had worn off. I really didn’t want to have to take anything but I needed something. I had just had spinal fusion surgery and had been given a steroid injection the previous day, but the pain level was back to a 9 or 10. By this time the shift had changed. They said they can only give the medication once and then the treating doctor has to do it.

I waited about another 1.5 hours and was getting really frustrated. I could see another doctor who came in when the staff changed over. At that point, I only saw 2 doctors. The other staff were nurses and the CAT Scan person and the orderlies. I asked this other doctor for help with the pain. They made what in my opinion was a smart comment about there being other people waiting. I said I get that but, I have been waiting for 2 hours. I didn’t approach my original doctor because I thought they were leaving because I’d seen them giving a briefing to the other doctor.

About half an hour later, I went to the counter and asked to make a complaint. They gave me a paper and a pen. I wrote the complaint out and asked to submit it to them, and if they would take a copy of it so I could keep a copy. They wouldn’t do either. They said I had to lodge it with security and told me I’d have to walk over there. I had a head injury with pain at a 9 or 10 level and was dealing with nerve pain from the spinal fusion surgery. I asked if they could get a security guard to come to me to take the complaint but they wouldn’t. I asked that staff member for their name but they wouldn’t give it to me. I think the staff member was part of the front admin – not a nurse or doctor.

I said I would take a picture so the hospital would know who I was talking about, but they said if I did that they would call security. I told them I wanted security to come. They then threatened to call the police. During the process of being in ED, the security guards did come around and check on people and were actively there – but just not when I needed them!

As that was happening, the doctor I first saw came back to me and said they were going to discharge me. They were very courteous and did apologise for the wait. I was very understanding. This doctor didn’t ask if I was allergic to anything. They were only going to issue me a box of Panadeine Forte to take home but then I notified them that I can’t take that because I get an adverse reaction to codeine. They said they would give me Endone tablets but they couldn’t let me go home and take the tablets away with me. Basically, they told me I was going to have to take it in front of them and then come back for a script the next day. I wanted to take some home but they said it had to be while I was at the hospital. I am homeless and I think they thought I was just going to pass the drugs on to someone else. I am not that person. I do not have a drug addiction and I do not have an alcohol addiction.

I needed the tablets so I had to take them straight away while they were there with me. I told them that I was going to sleep in my car because I knew you couldn’t drive if you had taken Endone. That’s what I ended up having to do because of the repercussions – I didn’t want to hurt anyone else if I was under the influence. They then gave me a script for Endone and said it should last me for 5 days. They said it would be 10mg but it was 5mg. I ended up taking a total of 15mg in the 6-7 hours I was at the hospital. They didn’t tell me it would constipate me.

This doctor asked me who my GP was and wrote it down. They then discharged me and gave me the paperwork. I didn’t even open the paperwork because I was too medicated and didn’t have my reading glasses. I didn’t read it until the next day and all the information was to an old treating doctor that I haven’t seen for 5-6 years. Aside from that – this doctor was courteous and handled it well. But what’s the point in them asking questions if they write down something different to what I told them.

Overall, the first triage nurse was lovely and my treating doctor was helpful. But I felt the staff members I tried to put a complaint in to were lazy, incompetent and lacked empathy.  There were other people waiting for a long time like me and I saw them walk out. I believe people walking out is not a good sign. In my opinion, there’s got to be a process where if the doctor is taken away, there is another doctor who can fill that spot while patients are waiting. I saw other doctors that I think could have stepped in.

Maybe they can make a better and smoother transition for people when they first come in, to when they are treated.