"My child's stay"

General feedback for improvements from a parent/carer perspective for a new hospital. My child stayed at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) a few times in the past too.

My child had brain surgery and stayed a few days. Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) has saved their life twice so full compliments to doctor at Emergency for the urgent CT scan referral and speed to appreciate the urgency and also to the surgeon and team who did well to make my child better. 🙂

These notes below are not full complaints but offer to see a parent’s perspective and improve to help such stressful times for families.

Recommendations on stay:

Fix doors shutting too quick. I believe it is an OHS risk to staff and patients!

Train bed pushers; as knocking a door frame and jerking a patient post brain surgery, in my opinion, is not acceptable and a simple sorry is not good enough.

Staff hired to maintain stocks etc. instead of skilled nurses wasting their time. The basics like bed linen, toilet paper, soap, water were needed for my child. They have a disability so also needed a toilet and shower chair. I had to wait and ask for a toilet chair the first night and also had to ask for a shower chair and took skilled nurses time to get. Why can't the cleaners that fix bedrooms and make beds put some basics for the next person in the room? We weren't wanting shampoo or anything extravagant.

I believe the blankets ran out the first night and my child and I were cold overnight. We could not get another blanket, only sheets the next day. Nurses assisted where they could, with one being very helpful and the first night, getting a hot sheet for my child. I think even the volunteers could help, like old PMH. As a carer, I think the shower cable is too short to wash my child. The ensuite was great but the area between the sink and wall is small in my opinion and I believe not disability friendly. Also, the drain near the toilet wasn't open, water build-up was deep. It is hard to clean the wet floor after showering for slip purposes.

Having cold water close for the patient is handy. Jugs of water are no longer but my child needed fluids. I felt let down on communication from each shift nurse on facilities at PCH like closest tea, coffee and water, (I was heading furthest every time). Food was, I believe, forgotten for my child. The second day they never gave lunch or dinner to my child as I believe they had simply forgotten and I had to chase up a sandwich for them that had been saved spare in the fridge. At first, my child wasn't hungry but an offer for a meal delivered should have been there.

I realised my child needed to order TV so I did for the next day. The TV order system was not communicated that we would miss out if not done.

As for parent/carer food, nothing was open on the long weekend, except for a cafe, which the coffee is good but the food is pricey and fancy in my opinion. I felt PMH had much better food. I think parents want home-style food, not fancy expensive items. I ended up having to purchase pasta, heated in the microwave until oil came out - horrible. Also, as a parent, I was offered a sandwich once, only the next day after asking, was ignored, so went to the cafe and spent money on rubbish, overheated food (leaving my child to do so) and advising a nurse to watch my child as they are a fall, epilepsy and vomit risk. I believe providing a sandwich at least at one meal to the parent is cheaper than them leaving their child for the nurse to attend to as I think the food is rubbish and overpriced for admitted patients at the hospital, so a parent like myself needs to leave the hospital to get other food.

I felt uncomfortable on checks from the nurses during the day. In my opinion, they were not frequent enough and felt uncomfortable leaving my child to have a coffee break in case of them vomiting, epilepsy etc. post brain surgery. I felt I was left to look after my child during the day which is fine but not medically and felt older nurses provided more caring nature.

Brain surgery was serious and a big thing for us. As a whole, I am 100% satisfied with my child’s care and that they are alive and getting well but I think running at PMH was better, in my opinion. I feel the new hospital looks the part but needs to get the basics sorted too and hire more staff for basic jobs and every day, cheaper, better food for families to eat. Believe me, we don't want a hotel just what is necessary. I believe some things have improved since PMH, but not these things.

Thanks, and hope you consider improvements.