"Nurses station noise"

Dear jazzyg44,

Thank you for your feedback.

ED's are definitely not quiet places - they are active 24 hours a day, unlike inpatient areas where we try very hard to create the 'healing' environment overnight and at other times.

The thing that makes the current Wonthaggi ED particularly tricky is that it was not designed to be an ED - we moved into this recently renovated space because our demand was greater than our old ED could cope with. In this current space, the staff station has no barriers to deflect the noise and the openness of the corridors and rooms don't help. The good news is we are in the final stages of building our new ED (due to open end of this year) which will offer a state of the art, purpose built environment, and rooms where you will be able to rest and not be disturbed by the noise.

Sorry that we can't fix this interim issue - glad everything else was positive.

Take Care, Jan

Hi jazzyg44,

Apologies. I didn't quite understand from your initial feedback that your concern is what I will describe as 'the loudness of the interpersonal chatter that was occurring between the staff? Is that the key issue? I assume that is what is meant by the partying atmosphere.

I will make sure the staff are aware that their conversations impacted on your experience while you were no doubt worried about your own health and wellbeing, and we will remind them that it is important to make sure their conversations are appropriate. I don't know the date of your visit, and am very happy to take a call from you to get the details, (0472 846 355) to understand that particular night.

I will also say, a bit in defense, that our ED staff have been slammed for over two years. They frequently go without breaks because we are so short staffed, or so busy; they frequently work 12 hour shifts or double shifts; they work in the morning and come back at night to make sure we have enough staff on duty; and they often spend the whole shift in the ED without being able to leave because of their PPE requirements and the need for staff to be available just in case people crash. The ED team has been simply extraordinary in maintaining services during the times of increased demand and acuity, and staff shortfalls, and they are fatigued. Sadly while the rest of the community is winding into a normal life, our ED staff are doing nothing of the sort. As such, they use their work time to reconnect and to find some normalcy. I have actively encouraged them to do this and to stay connected as a team, and to be supportive of each other and other colleagues during these tough times. Often when staff go home at the end of a shift, the people they go home to don't quite understand the pressures or distress and so the social banter at work is helpful. I have encouraged all my staff to do what they need to, to maximize their personal and professional wellbeing in the workplace.

I am sure that would have been less ideal for you given your own health concerns, and you have given us all a good reminder to continue to do our best to find the balance. I know none of our staff would come to work to make their patient experience less than optimal and I will make it a point to remind them that the social connections need to occur in an appropriate way.

Please reach out if you would like to give me further info or feedback. And thank you again for your commitment in feeding back.

Jan