"Covid testing requests have still not improved"

Hello,

My partner is a front line worker and they have recently presented with symptoms of what is more than likely a cold. As per the WA Health Departments online stated symptoms for covid testing they have recommended my partner get tested. 

Fair enough, a cold isn't a cold anymore and seeing as they deal with tourists regularly it is the responsible thing to do. We feel it's best to do so to keep our community safe and follow the direct guidelines of the WA state Government and the recommendations of the WA Health Department. 

After following the links on the site it directed me to the Busselton Hospital and the contact number to call.

I spoke with a staff member who, I believe, seemed confused by my request and told me my partner was to present to emergency and contact the number on the board out the front. I felt they spoke to me like I should have known this information already as common knowledge. We have never been through this process before so I think the query was quite reasonable as we didn’t know if there were time or days testing might be available. 

My partner drove down in mask and although it took some time they finally located the board referred to and the number to call. 

My partner was told they were busy and did my partner need a doctor? No? They will call my partner back.

My partner left feeling like I had after the phone call. Like we had inconvenienced the staff.

After reading previous experiences of people visiting for covid testing I am not expecting a call back at this stage.

We are trying to do the right thing and are being met with nothing but confusion and, I believe, a little contempt which is confusing in itself to be honest.

If there is a particular time or day that is more conducive then...let us know? We are happy to do as instructed. 

We aren’t trying to be a bother just trying to be responsible.

I would have thought that this wouldn’t be a novel instance for the staff on site and that there might be procedure or guidelines in place for the staff and clear instructions for the patients?

What I thought should be operating like a well-oiled machine a year in to a pandemic has left us feeling stone walled and with no place to go or anyone to speak to.

It's left me with so many questions. How many people haven’t gotten tested because of the sheer difficulty getting tested in Busselton? What were to happen, I feel, if you had a positive case that faced this situation? I believe Busselton would look completely incompetent if the news started reporting that there was positive cases that took so long to get tested because, I feel, the hospital couldn’t get their act together.

I called the care line to speak to senior staff but, as I understand it, no one was available.

So with, I believe, no one to speak to and no information on how or when to get tested I really don’t know what else to do.