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Staff care

Posted By Nothappy123

"Staff care"

About: Kalgoorlie Health Campus / Surgical Ward

(as a relative),

My relative was an inpatient at Kalgoorlie Hospital recently. The care from the D ward is, in my opinion, beyond terrible. I feel the staff are rude and inattentive to the patient needs.

My relative asked for assistance because they had an accident in bed and was unable to clean themselves or the bed, by themselves. I believe it took them 30 minutes to respond to their calls. I complained to a staff member recently about the situation and how embarrassing it was for my relative to be lying in their own excrement and their response was, they encourage their patients to be independent and not rely on help from the nurses. I feel this is unacceptable.

Recently, my relative had another accident and this time it took 20 minutes to come and help. It was only after the second incident that my relative was told that their buzzer did not work. Their TV did not work either. They wanted a private room (while using their private health) but was told there was not available, which is fine. However, when a private room became available, I believe someone else got the room. When my relative asked about the private room, they were told, oh, we didn't know you had private health cover.

After I left, recently, I was told by my relative that the same staff member and someone from HR came to their bed, I believe accusing me of being aggressive towards the staff member. In my opinion, what's the point of having nurses if they don't help their patients? My relative said no, I was standing up for them.

My relative was offered orange juice to take their medication with but they are allergic to orange juice and it was clearly marked on their paperwork. In my opinion, the nurses on D Ward appear to not advocate for their patients or give an acceptable level of care.

I would like to put a formal complaint about the staff and level of care my relative did not receive.

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Responses

Response from Peter Tredinnick, Executive Director, Regional Office, WACHS Goldfields 3 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Peter Tredinnick
Executive Director, Regional Office,
WACHS Goldfields

Executive Director WACHS Goldfields

Submitted on 22/03/2021 at 3:18 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 3:20 PM

picture of Peter Tredinnick

Dear Nothappy123,

Thank you for taking the time to share the experience of your relative’s recent admission to the Kalgoorlie Hospital. I was disappointed to read your story, and I am very sorry for any embarrassment caused during a time when your relative was unwell and feeling vulnerable. We would expect that all patients receive kind and compassionate care, and that all patients and family members are comfortable and supported to raise any concerns about the level of care being provided. I was saddened to read that this was not your experience. I have shared your story with the Nurse Coordinator who has provided your feedback to the team for their reflection, and who will ensure that all staff who work on the D ward undertake training in the importance of delivering person-centred care over the coming months.

Your story references several concerning elements relating to patient care that I would like to address. In relation to the call bell, I sincerely apologise that this was not functioning during your relative's stay. I can see that this has impacted the quality of care due to the inability to get the attention of the nursing staff quickly. As a result of your feedback, I have followed up with the Surgical Ward who has completed a review of all patient rooms to ensure that the call bells are functioning as they should. Any faulty responses have been listed urgently for repairs and all TVs within the ward have also been checked to ensure they are in working condition for patients. Thank you for bringing this issue to my attention

I understand that it would have been a disappointment to not be offered a private room when your relative was admitted as a private patient. We do offer single rooms to private patients when available, though unfortunately from time to time this isn’t possible for clinical reasons- for example, if other patients require isolation. If this is the case, we would expect that this is clearly communicated to you and I am sorry that this didn’t occur. I would like to further investigate if there were clinical reasons as to why your relative was unable to access a private room or if we have fallen short in our administrative processes. This will help us to ensure that a similar situation does not reoccur.

I am very concerned to hear that your relative was offered orange juice despite this being listed in their paperwork as an allergy. The WA Country Health Services has a food allergy guideline that provides information about how to identify and communicate food allergies and intolerances and I have referred your complaint to the Clinical Nurse Manager of the Ward, to ensure that all staff are aware of this policy. However, it would be very valuable to be able to speak with you directly to gain further insight into this error.

I would very much appreciate it if you would contact David Bowdidge, who is the Operations Manager at Kalgoorlie Hospital, directly so that he can facilitate a thorough investigation of the issues that you have raised. David can be contacted on 08 9080 5817 or via email at David.Bowdidge@health.wa.gov.au.

Thank you again for taking the time to provide your feedback and I hope your relative is recovering well.

Warm Regards,


Peter Tredinnick

Regional Director

WACHS Goldfields.

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