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Unable to get doctors appointment

Posted By composerem67

"Unable to get doctors appointment"

About: Exmouth Community Health Service Exmouth Health Service

(as the patient),

Based on my experience, doctor appointments in our town are always very hard to come by. I feel it is not uncommon to need to wait 4 weeks plus for an appointment. I believe consistency of care is also mostly non-exist with doctors coming and going and it seems to me usually gone or on holidays for any follow up appointments. 

Currently we are told there are no appointments in the near future and as I understand it, any booked for the next month will most likely be pushed back. As a family with young children and as a town of nearly 3 thousand I recall that can swell to 20 thousand in the peak holiday times, I feel that this is not good enough! Waiting at triage for hours and then I recall being told that we are clogging up the emergency department is not a solution. In my opinion, we desperately need more doctors in Exmouth WA. I believe especially with the borders opening and Covid-19 starting to stress in WA!

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Responses

Response from Grant Patrick, Operations Manager, Carnarvon, WA Country Health Service 3 years ago
Grant Patrick
Operations Manager, Carnarvon,
WA Country Health Service

Submitted on 17/01/2022 at 7:48 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia on 18/01/2022 at 2:42 PM

picture of Grant Patrick

Dear composerem67,

Thank you for taking the time to share your story on Care Opinion.

I am very sorry to hear about the challenges you’ve experienced in accessing medical services in Exmouth and for the way you were spoken to when you came into the Emergency Department (ED). This is not what we expect from our staff and I apologise unreservedly for how you were left feeling.

I would like to reassure you that it is still possible to make appointments to access the General Practitioner (GP) service provided at Exmouth Health Service. As a family with young children, if you do require care and a GP appointment is not available within the required timeframe, please attend the Emergency Department and you will be treated.

If you are concerned about the care you or your family are receiving when in hospital, including the ED, I would like to share with you a process we have at the hospital called Aishwarya’s CARE Call. You may notice in the ED posters about Aishwarya’s CARE Call, which is a 1800 number for patients, carers and families to raise their concerns if they or someone they care for is getting sicker. In the Midwest, no matter what hospital you go to this number is 1800 316 729 or you can find out more here at: WA Country Health Service - Aishwarya’s CARE Call.

Thank you, again, for sharing your story on Care Opinion. I would like to assure you that the team at Exmouth Health Service work consistently to maintain a high-level continuity of care to people throughout the region and that we are all genuinely committed to listening and learning from the experiences of our patients and their families and carers.

My name is Grant Patrick and I am the Operations Manager for the WA Country Health Service in the Gascoyne. If you would like to discuss your concerns further, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 9941 0300.

Grant Patrick

Operations Manager, Gascoyne

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