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Paediatric Outpatient appt

Posted By septemberwe79

"Paediatric Outpatient appt"

About: Geraldton Hospital

(as a service user),

Recently had a grandchild in our care referred to Geraldton Paediatrics for an outpatient appointment, upon following up at the request of CAMHS was informed child was triaged as cat 2 - so requires to be seen within 3- 6 months. However, the clerk advised they are 12 months behind. So our grandchild who is a toddler will wait potentially until after their next birthday before seeing a paediatrician via outpatients. I feel this is a long time to wait while dealing with development and behavioural issues.

Could something please be done to address the wait time - I feel another Paediatrician could be recruited or the availability of the current Paed be expanded to address the backlog of children waiting in the Midwest area for an assessment.

I understand we have the option to go private however this child is not covered by our private health fund and I know we have the option of going to Perth however as there is a Paediatrician in the area I believe PATS would possibly be declined.

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Responses

Response from Allan Pelkowitz, Regional Medical Director, Medical Services, WA Country Health Services Midwest 3 years ago
Allan Pelkowitz
Regional Medical Director, Medical Services,
WA Country Health Services Midwest

Submitted on 22/01/2021 at 6:25 PM
Published on Care Opinion on 25/01/2021 at 10:54 AM

picture of Allan Pelkowitz

Dear septemberwe79,

Thank you for taking the time to share your story on Care Opinion. Please accept my apologies for the delay in your grandchild being seen by the Paediatrician and the frustration this has caused you.

I acknowledge there is a delay in accessing the paediatrician outpatient service at the Geraldton Hospital and we have completed a model of care to work on improving the wait time. This includes strategies such as engaging further Paediatrician time and establishing extra clinics. This service has seen a significant increase in referrals in the last couple of years and WA Country Health Service Midwest would like to assure you we are working on ways to manage the demand.

Due to the current extended wait time we are also providing PATS support for travel to Perth for families where appropriate as we recognise the importance of early intervention for children with developmental and behavioural issues.

To allow me an opportunity to look into your specific concerns and to see what can be done to help support you and your family better, I would be grateful if you could contact me. My name is Dr Allan Pelkowitz and I am the Regional Medical Director at WA Country Health Service Midwest. Your call would be welcome. If you are happy to, please contact me on 9956 8742 or via email at Allan.Pelkowitz@health.wa.gov.au.

Your feedback is valued and helpful in highlighting where we need to improve to ensure our communities care needs are met.

Again thank you for taking the time to provide feedback about our service and I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind Regards

Dr Allan Pelkowitz

Regional Medical Director

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