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"Patient's feelings, wellbeing and rights"

About: St George Hospital St George Hospital Sub-Acute Mental Health Unit

(as the patient),

Since staying in Sub-acute I believe I have had a bunch of things go missing/be disregarded from the nurse's station! Not even among patients. First off, an eye mask, that is decorated like a unicorn, multicoloured. When I moved from PECC to sub-acute I was not given this in my room at all meaning, in my opinion, it was misplaced/taken directly from the nurse's station. I asked about it several times and received no response. I also had a roll-on deodorant go missing.

When I was moved from Sub-acute to PECC the first time, they didn't even take my suitcase, which I believe demonstrates how thorough they are with patients' property. Since moving to PECC a second time after a horrific experience on my last night there, they again didn't bring my suitcase.

I since realised that they had not given me my brush (the brush I waited five days with bird's nest hair for my father to buy and bring as there were no combs). I subsequently realised that I didn't have my second eye mask, orange and decorated like a fox, given to me by my best friend during a hospital stay. Later on, I realised they had, I believe, failed to bring my makeup case and makeup that my mother had bought me overseas, for my 30th birthday! They insisted I keep it behind the desk and then I believe showed such blatant disregard for something so sentimental!

My nurses also told me they would make my bed and I walked in to see them, I believe, searching my property! In my opinion, this is unacceptable and completely violating nurse/patient boundaries not to mention extremely rude and disrespectful. I understand that they need to search property when we come in to check for self-harm material but, I feel, not subsequently. The irony of it all is that in their search, I believe they failed to obtain a Webster pack of medication plain as day on the tray table. In my opinion, that demonstrates the lack of efficacy and consideration into my care.

Also, I gave another nurse credit card details last week that I had written down, and asked them to please make sure you put these details in my locker as they are credit card details and they need to be safe. Yet again I believe this piece of paper was thrown out or lost, either, I feel, out of malice or carelessness. I would like to know what is going to happen regarding this makeup and case bought for my 30th birthday from my mother overseas.

As I am so hurt and angry I literally feel sick and it cements the feelings of disregard I have encountered due to the mistreatment I believe I have been through during this supposed therapeutic stay.

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Responses

Response from David Tobin, Inpatient Services Manager, St George Mental Health Unit, St George Hospital 3 years ago
David Tobin
Inpatient Services Manager, St George Mental Health Unit,
St George Hospital
Submitted on 25/06/2020 at 10:56 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 10:58 AM


Dear importersm68,

Thank you for your feedback regarding your recent stay at the St George Hospital Acute Mental Health Unit (MHU), sub- acute area. We are most disappointed that your experience of care within our facility was poor, and distressing for us to hear how you felt disregarded and mistreated with aspects of our care. For this we do apologise. Your feedback to us is most important, to allow us to investigate and ensure that lessons learned will allow for improvement in the provision of care we offer to each of our consumers.

I would like to offer you the opportunity to contact myself, the Inpatient Services Manager either by e-mail or by phone. My e-mail address is david.tobin@health.nsw.gov.au and my contact phone number is (02) 9113-2226. This contact will allow for us to discuss in more detail, the specific issues which you have highlighted and gives us an opportunity to have further consumer feedback shape and improve how our services are delivered.

I have spoken with the Nurse Unit Manager of the MHU and have commenced investigations into our processes, more specifically, our property management and environmental searching processes. We are totally committed to ensuring that another consumer does not have to endure the distress which you experienced.

Can I encourage you to contact myself directly, to allow for us to explore your highlighted issues in more detail? I can assure you that there will not be any level of repercussion towards you for having the courage to highlight areas of care which we obviously need to improve upon.

Kind regards,

David Tobin

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