This is Care Opinion [siteRegion]. Did you want Care Opinion [usersRegionBasedOnIP]?
Care Opinion

Setting up your home after Total Hip Replacement

Posted By perseusjq73

"Setting up your home after Total Hip Replacement"

About: Kununurra Hospital

(as the patient),

I live in Kununurra in the East Kimberley area of WA. I was booked to have a total hip replacement in Perth recently. This was done at a private hospital. Perth is 3000km from Kununurra.

The pre-operative information that I was given by my specialist stressed the fact that you had to prepare your home ready for your post-operative stage. 

I contacted the Allied Health team at Kununurra Hospital to organise a shower chair, a toilet raiser and a high back chair. I believe these items are very necessary after a hip replacement. When I went into the hospital to request these items a few days before my flight to Perth I was told that I could not have them until the items were requested by the hospital where I was to have my procedure. I was quite distressed about this as I am a senior citizen and especially wanted the toilet raiser ready at my home after the flight home from Perth.

I feel that if this is the case, then I feel the residents in the Kimberley are at a disadvantage, in Perth, you are able to hire these items from numerous outlets. There was nowhere in Kununurra that I could hire them.

During the discharge process at the private hospital, I mentioned this to my physiotherapist. They then went and asked an Occupational Therapist to come and see me. I explained the situation to the OT, it is not their normal practise to contact the Allied Health people in Kununurra to advise about the equipment needed. They did this though, at my request.

I would like this matter to be looked at, please? I feel that if a patient is not able to safely set up their home prior to the long trip to Perth for surgery, then, in my opinion, they are potentially being set up for failure. To not have these items available after a hip replacement risks dislocation of the new hip. 

More about:
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from A/Allied Health Manager, Broome, Allied Health, Kimberley Population Health Unit, WACHS - Kimberley 3 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
WACHS - Kimberley

Submitted on 4/12/2020 at 2:20 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 5:06 PM

Dear perseusjq73,

Thank you for sharing your story with us on Care Opinion.

I am sorry to hear that you have experienced distress and frustration in relation to the preparations for your return home after your hip operation in Perth.

I would like to assure you that the Allied Health team at Kununurra Hospital do provide basic and essential equipment to optimise the comfort and safety of patients when they return home after an operation. The equipment is usually best provided post-surgery when it can be better determined what a person's needs and abilities might be after surgery. This approach also takes into consideration any changes that have taken place after rehabilitation.

The Allied Health team in Kununurra work hard to action any requests from the treating hospital so that people have what they need when they arrive back home. However, from your experience, it appears there has been limited communication between the hospital in Perth and the Allied Health team in Kununurra and I sincerely apologise for this.

As a result of your feedback, to ensure that this does not happen again, we will follow up with your treating hospitals to ensure that everyone is aware of the correct referral processes. I am also pleased to advise that we are transitioning to a more robust e-referral process in the near future, which should assist us in sending and receiving referrals.

If you would like to talk about what happened, please feel free to call me. My name is Jo and I am currently working in the role of Allied Health Manager at the Kununurra Hospital. You can call me on 9194 1630 or contact me via email on: Joline.Falls@health.wa.gov.au.

Thank you again for reaching out to us on Care Opinion. We genuinely value your feedback so that we can improve what we do.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best in your recovery.

Yours sincerely

Jo Falls

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k