"Security staff behaviour"

To whom it may concern.

I am writing this to express my feelings and experience recently while bringing my toddler to surgery at the Bunbury regional Hospital. The purpose of this preamble is to firstly outline what I believe was the perplexing, vexing and outrageous behaviour of the security guards stationed at the entrance to the hospital. I can not express enough how disturbed and emotionally altered I am from this experience at a time that I need to be at my best to care for a post op toddler. I feel these security guards are a disgrace to not only their employees but have brought shame to the Regional Hospital as well.

I was instructed verbally the day before by the Childrens Ward of Bunbury regional hospital to arrive at the entrance at a certain time and then from there my child and I will be given a RATs test.

Upon arriving and greeting the security at the entrance I explained who I am and that my child is to attend Surgery and that I and my child are to get tested. The staff member didn't know what I was talking about and said that they did not have any tests. Confused, I explained slowly and clearly that the Childrens ward said you or someone would be here to administer the test.

It seemed they then remembered that there was a testing clinic around the corner. But said there is likely no one there, they offered to check and I was grateful to them for doing so. They returned and said that sorry they are closed. I then asked if they were sure because that doesn't seem to make sense. The security said I need to do the test myself, I said I have a test at home, they said well you better do that then.

By this stage I was confused and couldn't understand what was going on as I headed back to my car in the freezing weather, pushing my child who was hungry and tired. I rushed back home and tried to do a RAts test on my child which was not successful as I feel it is not an appropriate test to give to a toddler.

I rang the children's ward to explain what was going on to which they were confused as to why there was a problem and why I was sent home. They then suggested that I should be given the test at the Ward and that they would leave a message with the security at the front.

At this stage I am already stressed and my child is even hungrier but I was confident they had it sorted and eventually returned. Upon arrival I was again greeted by security but this time a different staff member seated at a desk. They asked how I was doing and I responded truthfully that I wasn't doing great. I said who I was and I am here with my child for surgery.

At some point in this I noticed a parent and child seated at the waiting area administering a RATs test to their child but didn't think anything of it.

I explained to the other security staff that they should have a message from the Ward explaining the situation. It seemed to me they played dumb and feigned that they didn't know anything. I said I have permission to do the RAts test at the ward but they refused to allow entrance without a test. Already I am perplexed by this and can't figure out why this staff member is having such an aversion to my presence. A pressed them again to check their message, I recall they quickly glanced down at nothing and with an apparent grin said oh yeah there is a message. The security did not act on that message, I believe they chose to ignore it. You'll have to ask them why.

Now, to my surprise as I was told there were none previously, they pulled out a single RATs test for the both of us and I believe they rudely prompted me to do it with no instructions, stuck out in the freezing wind with poor lighting. I then, without delay, took the test and sat down where the previous security staff was seated administering the test to their child. Within a few seconds the other security guard approached and it seemed they scorned me for sitting there like it was a crime against humanity to do such a reprehensible and unforgivable act of insubordination. I told them that it was extremely unfair to behave in such a way as they had given me no instructions whatsoever as to where to sit.

After an exchange of more words I approached the security staff to get a better look at their name tag and seeing that it was obscured I asked them for their name. At this point the first guard felt the need to interject it seemed as if they were convinced an act of violence was about to take place. I believe they knew that wasn't happening but again they were setting me up for justified escalation and use of force. A team effort on their behalf.

Their behaviour made no sense to me at the time but in hindsight I believe they were doing their best to escalate the situation and was seemingly succeeding to their delight.

I called them out for this feckless behavior and in return they threatened to have me forcibly removed. I felt that perhaps their feelings were hurt or their ego?

I tried my best to administer the appropriate test to my child and failed in the dark and freezing cold and then decided to ring the Ward again to have them try and resolve the situation. One of the staff members said they would come down to meet me at the door, relieved I thanked them and waited.

I then abandoned the test, as it was hopeless. And took one step towards the doors, mind you I was 20 metres away from the entrance, I recall the security guard then acted like I was going to shoot up the place if I entered. They made me feel like a criminal. At this moment another guard came along just as I was resigned to the fact the staff member from the Wards is indeed not coming down like they said. I stated that I would leave and that my child’s desperate surgery would have to be abandoned yet again.

The new guard was immediately a decent and honorable person and quickly/calmly explained that the RATs test is just around the corner. They opened the door and the lovely staff member at the testing clinic explained that they were there the whole time, I recall, from 5:15 am.

In my opinion, this whole ordeal they put me through was deliberate and coordinated by them to cause emotional grief and they succeeded. Now, please forgive me if that is the goal of the security presence at the hospital to cause as much grief as possible because in that regard I felt they went above and beyond and should be congratulated. As I strongly suspect that is the desired outcome in my most cynical of mindsets, but perhaps it's true. It's just that they are so good at it and seemed as though they wanted to escalate until they could justify physical harm.

I feel this is evil behavior and in my opinion, quite frankly shocking from a position of unquestionable power that the pandemic has bestowed upon the apparently feeblest of minds that are employed as security guards. I believe their unchecked, self proclaimed power to inflict upon others the hatred and evil that lives in their hearts should not be the intended outcome. But yet here we are, sure does feel to me like history having a certain rhyme to it.

The good guard went on to tell me that recruitment lately has been pretty bad and the worst people are being employed. But, then went on to say they are just doing their jobs! O.K., well, if supposed harassment, problem creation and forceful solutions is their job, again, well done. I thought perhaps they are on commision per incident?

Please forgive me If I have missed out or put in the wrong order some details but to the best of my knowledge this is accurate enough for these purposes. For example I haven't written what I said to them expressing my thoughts about their totalitarian and inhuman behavior, but I assure you as a law abiding person at no time did I threaten them or abuse them. Any omissions are to the benefit of the guards as I believe they were, except one, at their worst.

To summarize, I feel this was an unnecessary altercation and completely avoidable. I believe at no point did I do anything to deserve the treatment and refusal of entry or even reason. I do not have the appearance of a scumbag or vagabond and like to think of myself as a model citizen. I thought perhaps that's why they chose me as their victim or plaything but at no point did I feel they consider the welfare of the poor child. The whole day was mired for me with this overhanging it and while I did not let it get in the way of my child’s care and attention, it certainly didn't help. Total disgrace.

Sincerely,

orionxg66