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Great care but lack of coeliac-safe foods

Posted By capellaww69

"Great care but lack of coeliac-safe foods"

About: Kalgoorlie Health Campus / Emergency Department Kalgoorlie Health Campus / Paediatric Service

(as a parent/guardian),

We attended Kalgoorlie Hospital Emergency recently with our infant who had an ongoing quantity of blood in their nappy. One of his parent's is Type 1 Diabetic, Coeliac.

We were promptly triaged and shown to a bed for a paediatrician to assess. We are extremely happy with the assistance provided by Dr Tony (think that was his name).  He was a professional gentleman who listened to what we had to say and admitted our baby for further observation, and assured us that our baby wouldn't be discharged until the cause was determined, and a action plan put in place as we live in a remote town 7 hours drive from Kalgoorlie/ 1 1/2 hours from Albany.

As we were advised of baby's son's admission to the children's ward, we asked for a diabetic/coeliac (gluten free) meal for one of his parent's who would be staying overnight.

We were offered sandwiches, which were not coeliac friendly.  When we tried to clarify (gluten free) food was required, the staff member shrugged their shoulder and mentioned that they didn't know, and then offered sandwiches again.

We thanked the staff member and said that it didn't matter. The other parent went to grand parents home to get appropriate food for their partner to stay the night.  That parent returned to the hospital and delivered the meal to their partner on the children's ward.

Each morning the gluten free breakfast was delivered with vegemite (non gluten free). The bread on the tray wasn't gluten free.  On questioning, the staff member delivering the food located the correct gluten free bread on the trolley, which was then provided.  As we were unsure of the rest of the meal, the parent chose to not eat the breakfast for fear that the meal wasn't gluten free.

We wouldn't generally report this type of incident/s, however it is extremely dangerous for the parent to eat gluten products. This also caused extra stress to an already stressful situation (our young baby being so unwell).

We would like to compliment the paediatric staff who cared for our baby during their stay on the ward for a few days. 
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Responses

Response from Peter Tredinnick, Executive Director, Regional Office, WACHS Goldfields nearly 2 years ago
We have made a change
Peter Tredinnick
Executive Director, Regional Office,
WACHS Goldfields

Executive Director WACHS Goldfields

Submitted on 26/07/2022 at 7:04 PM
Published on Care Opinion on 27/07/2022 at 10:58 AM

picture of Peter Tredinnick

Dear capellaww69,

Thank you for taking the time to reach out and tell your story about the recent care you received at the Kalgoorlie Health Campus.

Please be assured that we take the concerns you have raised seriously. In the first instance, I will discuss your concerns with the managers and staff providing meals, to ensure they are reminded of the importance of getting this right. Additionally, we are now in the process of implementing a new Allergy and Diet Application which enables clinical staff to capture information about the patient (and when appropriate, parent or carer) allergies, food preferences and dietary requirements. This information is then accessed directly by the kitchen to ensure patients receive the most appropriate menu options during their stay.

Your story provides an excellent example of why this change to our meal service is so important, it will alleviate additional stress for patients, parents and carers during their time in our care. I was very pleased to hear that you received excellent care from the triage nurse, the Children’s Ward team and doctor and I will make sure this feedback is passed on to them.

Again, thank you for taking the time to bring this to our attention. I hope your child is now much better.

Kind regards,

Peter Tredinnick
Regional Director
WACHS Goldfields

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