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"Process with referrals for a COVID vaccination"

About: Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital

(as a service user),

I was trying to arrange my vaccinations. However, I cannot stand the horrific objects that are used to deliver them.

I have been corresponding with WA Health since October, but so far have not made much progress. 

I asked about options, but I felt none were provided, merely (to summarise) the assertion that "we have great staff", which is frankly not enough. 

After further correspondence, they finally conceded that there is one clinic is WA (located at SCGH) that can help, but that I need a referral. 

It took weeks of doctor shopping until I found a GP that was willing to provide a referral, but I finally got one in December. 

However, now I am in limbo, as there is no way of tracking the progress of the referral. I asked the GP who submitted the referral, as well as WA Health, but neither have responded.

I feel as though no-one is taking me seriously and nor do they understand how distressing this issue is. I feel many of my questions have either been only partially answered or even ignored completely. 

Exacerbating this are the new restrictions that the WA government are regularly imposing on the unvaccinated, along with the government and media commentary about the unvaccinated being reprehensible scum of the earth who are expendable.

How do I track the progress of the referral? 

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Responses

Response from Theresa Marshall, A/Executive Director, Mental Health, Public Health and Dental Services, North Metropolitan Health Service 2 years ago
Theresa Marshall
A/Executive Director, Mental Health, Public Health and Dental Services,
North Metropolitan Health Service
Submitted on 13/01/2022 at 5:22 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 5:22 PM


Dear falconjy69,

I’m sorry to hear about the difficulties you have experienced in arranging your COVID-19 vaccination. These are challenging times and I can understand the distress this is causing you. To enable us to assist you in tracking your appointment, I would like to invite you to contact our Consumer Liaison Service on (08) 6457 2867 or via email - CLS@health.wa.gov.au. Our CLS team will be able to assist you with your questions and provide you with information relating to your appointment.

Warm regards,

Theresa Marshall

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