"Ongoing issues with systems and processes in A&E"

Normally, I attend Outpatients Clinic at Box Hill for neuropathy, ENT, and Respiratory. On balance they have been excellent. Box Hill is 20kms from me, but Angliss is 5 mins away.

Recently, I had a second oesophagus dilation performed by a certain private doctor. Medically this was performed perfectly. I did expect some side effects as warned, but not dry retching and nausea. After 24 hours of this, I decided to try Angliss A&E.

Being not in great condition and unable to walk, I got wheeled in. After a while, the triage nurse saw me. In my opinion, they seemed totally inexperienced and had another colleague whispering in their ear and pointing out what to enter. They seemed more focused on COVID-19 than the patients. I am a senior citizen, have had both Astra-Zeneca shots and had to have a negative COVID test pre-op.

I did not have a high pain level, and they seemed to dismiss my general lack of wellbeing, and gave me a sick bag. At that stage, I was parked in a wheelchair, but no one asked me to go to the end and confirm details. At that point, there were only 3 in the waiting room. 3.5hrs later, deteriorating, I asked if there was anywhere I could lie down, and was told, as I recalled, “No, all the beds are full".

Shortly after that, I was asked to move from the wheelchair, as they needed it. I believe no one else in the waiting room needed a wheelchair. By then my leg neuropathy pain was so bad, I called my spouse and left. At that point, another 24 people I believe, had arrived and been checked into the system at the end position.

I am a retired Crisis Mgr with 30+ yrs of assessing crises, and the waiting room is not private. In my opinion, many of those attending could have found a 24/7 GP locally and been assessed and treated easily.

I want to know why no one logged me into the system and left me for 4 hours in a wheelchair.

By the day of writing this story, I was able to contact the surgeon who was in a regional town. They suggested maxelon but obviously found not prescribe from there, and suggested contacting my GP. Under the new regime, unlike the past 30 years, you cannot speak to your GP for 2 mins unless you book a Telehealth appointment which can be 4 days away.

The Angliss Patient liaison line was supposed to operate between 9 and 3, but all I got was a message. Have tried multiple times, even through the main switchboard.

This is the second episode of what I believe is stupidity in terms of process. Some weeks ago, I presented with chest pains around lunch. The triage was quick and my admittance reasonable under the circumstances. ECG’S were done and multiple bloods to check for heart damage. All of this was great, and in my opinion, the issue clearly was not Cardiac. Time was now late in the night. By almost midnight, I had asked to see the doctor on multiple occasions, being told as I recalled, “they are having something to eat" then later, "they are busy". I felt they refused to come and explain what was happening even though it was quiet.

Later, I got a printout of what I believe was the fictitious discharge, and discovered that the process suggested I be referred to someone else and that two phone calls had been made, but this person wasn’t answering. So I would be stuck occupying a needed bed ad-infinitum.

After 4 hours of this, I checked out against the concerns of a cluster of nurses who thought I had been an ideal patient and gave me some panadeine forte for pain before I left.

So, my experience of intermittent occasional visits to Angliss, as a qualified Workplace and Assessment Trainer, I believe the quality of train, empathy, and processes need to be examined as in my opinion, these are deteriorating in a straight line. I have managed/cleaned up issues up to hundreds of millions of dollars, so large organisations are a beast I am familiar with.

Next time [if there is one], my spouse will drive me to Box Hill. Angliss may have flaws, but it is nothing like another nearby hospital where I believe outpatients are treated like cattle and has the reputation of somewhere to die.

Maybe at some point, someone will call me from Patient Liaison.