"Approach to visitors"

In my opinion, someone needs to intervene and talk some reason into the Austin Health that I believe have enabled its staff to take a harsh approach to visitors under what I believe to be the guise of COVID.

Recently, I attempted to visit my partner who had been admitted for internal bleeding the previous night. I did not attend the emergency department that night due to COVID rules by the hospital, which I understood.

That day, I attempted to visit for 5 minutes to drop off some belongings. I was not able to come earlier as I am a fulltime carer. I could only stay at Austin Health for 5 minutes as I had arranged for a neighbor to care for my parent to enable me to visit my partner.

Much to my distress I was advised by who I felt was a very rude, abrupt junior clinician, that despite requesting only 5 minutes to drop off essential items and see my partner and despite not being able to return at any other time my request was refused.

I was not offered any other person I could speak with and I recall simply and rudely told by the clinician that's the rules!

I feel could the hospital at the very least have a senior person appointed to deal consistently with such requests as they come up and not be seemingly left at the hands of which ever junior clinician picks up at the phone in the ward?

Whilst I understand the risks of COVID, I feel this cold, unthinking and apparent inflexible approach is totally reprehensible.

Based on my experience, it seems Austin Hospital has a prison like mentality not at all reflective of what I believe is meant to be a hospital representing the needs of its local community.