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"Emergency Department staff"

About: Sale Hospital / Emergency Department

(as the patient),

I presented to the Sale Hospital Emergency Department (ED) as per the recommendation of my GP after complications post colposcopy which was done elsewhere. 

When I told the doctors at the ED that my GP had told me to go there for IV antibiotics, the doctor then told me no, they had to do their own tests first because the hospital's pathology department was different to the doctor's clinic pathology department.

They then waited to do more tests, and due to being in excruciating pain, I begged them to come up with a better alternative. It appeared the doctor quite literally huffed and puffed and said they'll have to talk to their manager. About 20 minutes later the doctor came back with their manager who told me if I was refusing the internal examination they couldn’t treat me because I was a liability to the hospital and that couldn’t happen.

The manager also told me my pain couldn’t be that bad. I didn’t realise they'd know what uterine and cervical pain was like but whatever they reckon. I was not offered any form of pain relief or anti-nausea medication. They refused to give the IV antibiotics and told me to go home and go back to my GP because I wasn’t the hospital's problem.

I hate Sale Hospital's Emergency Department on the best of days but this was just the 'icing on the cake', in my opinion. I’d honestly rather end up travelling the hour to other hospitals than ever let a doctor from Sale's Emergency Department touch me again.

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Responses

Response from Tom Breakspear, Aged Care Services Manager, Maffra Hospital, Central Gippsland Health 4 years ago
Tom Breakspear
Aged Care Services Manager, Maffra Hospital,
Central Gippsland Health
Submitted on 27/02/2020 at 3:30 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 3:33 PM


picture of Tom Breakspear

Dear listenqp66,

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

I would like to apologise that we have let you down. We in the Emergency Department (ED) strive to provide the best care to our patients and it is disappointing that this was not your experience.

We endeavour to deliver a high standard of patient-centred care. This should include providing adequate pain relief and avoiding unnecessary procedures where we can to prevent further discomfort for the patient, whilst also gathering the necessary information to treat you safely and effectively.

We will continue to work on our communication in our ED and we currently have a whole of Health Service Project working on patient-centred care because we understand that communication is an essential ingredient in the care we provide and good communication starts with genuinely listening to our patients.

Your feedback is certainly appreciated and will help us improve for the future.

If you are comfortable in doing so, I would be interested in discussing your experience further. Please contact me at thomas.breakspear@cghs.com.au or on (03) 51438160.

Yours Sincerely.

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Response from Mandy Pusmucans, Director of Nursing, Sale, Central Gippsland Health 4 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Mandy Pusmucans
Director of Nursing, Sale,
Central Gippsland Health
Submitted on 28/02/2020 at 12:06 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 1:47 PM


picture of Mandy Pusmucans

Dear listenqp66,

I also thank you for sharing your story and truly apologise that we have let you down. This is not what we aspire to and for that I am sorry.

As Nurse Manager Tom has said, we have been working hard to improve our communication with patients and to make sure we put the person at the centre of their care. We are launching a significant program that has this as its major focus – this is a whole of Health Service initiative.

In the Emergency Department, the team have been working really hard to make sure that they are communicating well with patients and their families. We have also posted information around the department, that confirms for patients that they should expect to be well communicated with. We will continue working on this. Your story will be discussed at a team meeting, as it will help the team to reflect and identify areas for improvement.

As Tom has said, if you wish to personally discuss your experience with us, we would be very keen to talk some more. Please contact either Tom on the phone number he has provided, or myself on 5143 8512, or at mandy.pusmucans@cghs.com.au.

I hope that things are going well for you now.

Kind regards,

Mandy

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