Very early on a weekday morning, I brought my parent into the ED at Broome Hospital and waited in the seated area in the waiting room for someone to help us. I sat my parent down in the seats thinking that someone was going to have to screen us for COVID before seeing my parent for their sick stomach and vomiting.
After 15 minutes, another person came in with a baby and sat straight at the ED nurse station and was seen before us. During this time 3 staff inside the ED front reception had seen us but no one asked us anything so we waited.
Finally a nurse came out in scrubs and was putting a mask on and asked if we had a cough. I replied no my parent is sick and has crook guts, (background: they had been vomiting all night after dinner and were doubled over in pain sitting in the waiting area).
The nurse responded that we were sitting in the wrong area which made me feel confused as we didn't know where we were supposed to sit. I told the nurse the signage was confusing and all we wanted to do was the right thing and thought because of COVID that we were doing the right thing and they told me to calm down and to move over to the triage nurse. By this time I was angry and felt I didn't need to be told off by the nurse for doing something I thought was right just to be on the safe side of things and, in my opinion, definitely a lack of signage in the waiting area.
So finally my parent was taken into an emergency bed to wait and we were told that the doctors and nurses were doing their morning handover so my poor parent had to wait for longer and was still doubled over in pain. I didn't need the nurse to scold me or my parent and with 3 staff behind a glass window, why didn't one of them at least ask us in that first 15 minutes what was the problem and could they be of any help?
Reception
Finding your way
Things to do
Staff attitude
Responses
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