"Not a pleasant experience"

Dear omegate65,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with me. My name is Nick Mildenhall and I am the Operations Manager for the West Kimberley. I was very sorry to hear about your recent experience at Fitzroy Crossing Hospital. The behaviour you have described to us is unacceptable and does not align with the values of the WA Country Health Service (WACHS). Front-line staff, particularly receptionists, have such an important role as they are the first point of contact for our patients and therefore are the face of our health service. We expect that all front-line employees provide a welcoming and supportive environment at all times.

Upon receiving your feedback, we have taken action to ensure that this does not happen again. Our administration team is meeting this week and I will be sure to share your story with the team for discussion during this meeting, as well as the WA Health Code of Conduct, consumer focus standards and expected behaviour in the workplace. It is important to us that we empower our staff with the skills and knowledge to be able to provide a positive experience for all people accessing our health service.

If you are willing, our Administration Coordinator at Fitzroy Crossing would like to meet or speak to you about the specifics of your experience and identify additional actions we can take to ensure this does not happen again. If you feel comfortable, please do not hesitate to contact Belinda on (08) 9166 1787 or alternatively via email at Belinda.Storer@health.wa.gov.au

Warm Regards,

Nick Mildenhall

West Kimberley Operations Manager

Dear omegate65,

Once again thanks for sharing your recent experience at Fitzroy Crossing Hospital. Although it wasn’t a positive experience it has allowed the hospital to review our administration team’s expectations and behaviours and I thought I would let you know some of the changes we’ve made to improve the experience of our patients and their families and carers. Since we received your feedback we have:

· Supplied uniforms and name badges that are to be worn by administration staff

· Ensured that all administration staff have undertaken training modules in Confidentiality, Workplace Behaviour and Bullying in the Workplace

· Facilitated a reflective workshop with the administrative staff to build knowledge and skills around how they can uphold a high standard of service and behaviour that reflects the WA Country Health Service values. This workshop identified what our administrative team value as individuals and collectively. We examined the expectations of the role and responsibilities in delivering high-level customer service and reviewed our WACHS values and how we can apply them in the workplace.

We are also working with our Patient Experience and Community Engagement team to plan further training on the importance of person-centred care in 2021. I am confident these actions will lead to a better experience for all people that visit Fitzroy Crossing Hospital.

Thanks again for your feedback and if you have any further suggestions don't hesitate to get in contact.

Nick

Nick Mildenhall

Operations Manager – West Kimberley