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Terminally ill spouse and uncaring doctor

Posted By inspirezq94

"Terminally ill spouse and uncaring doctor"

About: Daylesford Hospital / Urgent Care Centre

(as a carer),

Palliative care nurse sent spouse to hospital as had chemo almost a week at the time if writing this and hadn't been able to eat since, was seeing things and talking to themselves. Nurse wanted blood tests and drip to hydrate. Doctor came in after 2hrs and said it was most likely all the pain meds they're on. l tried telling the doctor it has only been like this since chemo but kept telling me to let them finish speaking. A dr against pain meds it seems, so that was the problem so they thought. Told us my spouse just needs to drink more water. After lots of tears we got blood tests and went home, when I felt they should have had drip to help, and monitored overnight, if only for peace of mind. At the time of writing this, we will find out the blood results the next day.

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Responses

Response from Michelle Oliver, Director Quality and Safety, Central Highlands Rural Health 2 years ago
Michelle Oliver
Director Quality and Safety,
Central Highlands Rural Health

Submitted on 26/04/2022 at 9:07 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 9:07 AM

Dear inspirezq94,

Firstly, please let me say how sorry I was to read about your recent experience at Daylesford Hospital. I can see the situation must have been quite distressing for you and your spouse, and it certainly does not reflect the care we would usually provide or indeed the standards we aspire to in our organisation.

It was concerning to read you felt the doctor attending your spouse was uncaring. I would like to assure you we will share your story with the Visiting Medical Officers who provide services to our hospitals to demonstrate the importance of clear communication and compassion with patients particularly at such vulnerable and distressing times.

We would like to ensure your spouse received the treatment needed for symptom management and comfort, however, without knowing your particular details it is difficult to follow up. If you would like to contact me via feedback@chrh.org.au, we can retrieve more information about your spouse’s admission and investigate the situation further.

Thank you for letting us know of your experience so that we can learn and improve the care we deliver to our patients and the community.

Kind regards

Michelle Oliver, Director Quality & Safety

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