"Inconsistent policy around visitors"

Unfortunately my grandparent was in the acute bays of Peel Health Campus recently. My parent was in as their visitor and I believe was told by nurses and doctors in the ED, that my grandparent could have 2 visitors. I drove just over an hour to be my parent's support person, to be met by what I felt was an uncompassionate triage clerk who declined me entry to see my grandparent, who had a clot in their head, and my mother wanted me at the bedside for support.

We voiced our desires to the triage clerk, and were met by the nurse in ED who declined my entry also due to COVID rules. They suggested I wait in the ED waiting room, which was full of sick people (naturally), rather than in a contained cubicle with my family.

Again, we were met by what I felt was uncompassionate staff. When I explained that I'd travelled just over an hour as we were told I could be with my grandparent and my parent in ED, the nurse simply dismissed me continued to say 1 visitor.

So in summary, I believe staff need to be informed of current COVID policy, and secondly, I felt it would have been much safer to have me in the ED with my grandparent rather than waiting in the waiting room. They was later admitted to a ward and I entered the hospital and ward after waiting in what I think is the germ pot of ED.

Let's hope common sense prevails in future, because what I experienced that day was, I felt, a joke.