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Being listened to and believed

Posted By Informing NOK

"Being listened to and believed"

About: Esperance Health Campus / Palliative medicine

(as a service user),

My parent was admitted to Esperance Hospital via ambulance for severe back pain. They really disliked hospitals, so I knew it was serious for them to ask to go and it meant they were in a lot of pain.

I was contacted by my family at one stage to say that my parent was not doing very well; refusing some care, not eating or drinking much and providing some challenges for the health staff. I travelled down to Esperance to arrive to see my parent after 10 days in hospital – it seemed they were still in a lot of pain that hadn't been gotten under control. Whilst the senior doctor who was overseeing the RMO was interested in communicating and trying to plan my parent's care, I felt there was still a degree of judgement about why my parent was 'acting' the way they were. I recall I was even told by the senior doctor that an allied health staff member (who was present at the time) felt that my parent's reluctance to move was due more to 'lack of motivation’ than to being truly in pain. During one transfer of my parent in the hoist by the care staff, including the previous allied health staff member, my parent received significant skin tears under their right knee from the hoist straps. I was horrified that my parent had been injured and, as I understand it, was still denied the acceptance of being in pain.

At one stage I cried to the nursing staff and RMO begging to help my parent and to get their pain under control. It took one beautiful nurse to come onto shift and review my parent without judgement to see they needed more options for pain relief and this nurse took parent's file up to the ED and got another doctor to chart better and more appropriate pain management. My parent died three nights later from multi-organ failure.

I have so much grief and rage that it seemed my parent had to go through the indignity of suffering without being listened to until it was way too late. In my opinion, families should not have to fight for the basic human right of being pain free. I feel patients should be listened to, and judgement suspended.

I never want this to happen to anyone again. Not to a patient, a person I believe who deserves so much more.

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Responses

Response from Peter Tredinnick, Executive Director, Regional Office, WACHS Goldfields nearly 2 years ago
Peter Tredinnick
Executive Director, Regional Office,
WACHS Goldfields

Executive Director WACHS Goldfields

Submitted on 10/06/2022 at 1:17 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 1:17 PM

picture of Peter Tredinnick

Dear Informing NOK,

I would like to offer you my heartfelt condolences on the death of your parent at what must be a very sad and emotional time. I do hope that you have the support of family and loved ones around you as you grieve your loss.

It was difficult to read your story and comprehend how you must be feeling. I sincerely apologise for any additional suffering and stress we caused your parent when they were vulnerable and in pain and I am so sorry that your parent experienced skin tears from the hoist. I am also so sorry to read that you felt judged and not listened to and you were left crying and begging to have your parent’s pain under control. Listening to the feelings of our patients and their families is a basic tenet in providing care that is genuinely compassionate that meets the needs of our patients when they need us most.

Our medical, nursing and allied health care teams take pride in providing care that is compassionate providing a strong patient and family centred approach to care acute pain management and end of life care and they will be concerned to hear about your experience.

I will be sharing many elements of your story with our clinical teams so that this does not happen to another patient and their family. At individual unit and departmental meetings and at our overarching clinical governance meeting at the Esperance Health Campus, I will highlight the importance of listening to and believing our patients and their families when they tell us what is happening and to communicate with them about what is happening. I will also use these opportunities to remind staff about the importance of providing adequate and appropriate pain management and to our patients. While I am pleased that one nurse intervened to provide appropriate pain management, I am disappointed that this was even necessary.

So that you are aware, the Esperance Health Campus (EHC) has an escalation process in place to support patients and their families and carers if they feel that their or their loved one’s healthcare concerns are not being addressed appropriately. This process is called Aishwarya’s CARE Call and it enables you to speak to a senior member of staff who will listen to your concerns and help you or your loved one. Information about Aishwarya’s CARE Call is now in place throughout the EHC to assist with awareness of the process. If you are concerned about the care you or your family are receiving in hospital in the future, I encourage you to make a CARE Call on (08) 9080 5781.

If you would like us to follow up specifically with the clinicians involved with your parent’s care or if you would like to discuss any further concerns you may have, please don’t hesitate to contact Carla Jones, who is the Director of Nursing of the Esperance Health Campus on 9079 8000 or via email Carla.Jones@health.wa.gov.au

Again, I offer my sincere condolences to you and your family on the death of your parent.

Your sincerely

Peter Tredinnick

Regional Director

WACHS Goldfields

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