"Treatment of a client"

I accompanied a client with whom I work to Broome Hospital to collect some paperwork that had been left for them. We approached the information booth at main entrance. When they asked for the Freedom of Information form, one of the two staff  in the booth told them that there was no such form. I stepped in and tried to explain that there is a form to be filled out for Freedom of Information requests but the staff member insisted that there wasn't.

The client I was accompanying then started to become upset as they were acting on instructions from staff after their discharge a few days earlier. One of the staff in the booth then told my client they are not helping us because we're being arrogant. In my opinion, my client wasn't - they were ill, and under pressure.

Again I stepped in and asked the staff to call medical records and ask if there was someone who could bring out a Freedom of information form. The staff got on the phone and another staff member from Medical Records came out bearing the form. My client then asked this person to ask the initial staff in the booth for their paperwork (they'd given the staff their name but they claimed it wasn't there). When the Medical Records staff member asked if there was an envelope there with their name on, they handed it over. To the Medical Records staff member. Who then gave it to my client.

There was no acknowledgement that they had erred or apology from the staff in the booth for their refusal to help them. I found the staff in the booth to be unhelpful. I feel it is not their job to make judgements about people presenting there and if they cannot cope with someone saying something relatively innocuous about making a complaint, then I believe they shouldn't be dealing with the public.