"Hospital visiting hours"

My parent was admitted to Busselton Hospital. The following day the Ward Doctor rang my relative to discuss their health which I believe was described as, 'they are very sick.' My relative said that the possibility of them going into Hospice was discussed. I checked the hospital website for the visiting hours, which as I understand it, stated that the Busselton Hospital was open for visitors from 8am until 8pm.  The time was nearing 7pm, so I decided to feed my family dinner first and then see my parent from 7pm to 8pm.  I arrived at the hospital and used the main entrance- of which I could get into the first door- (ironically it turns out,) I used my manners and waited to let some people leave through the internal door. After they left I heard the door shut and lock. Knowing the layout of the hospital, I walked down to the Emergency Department thinking I would be able to access the ward this way.

However, I could not and met a Nurse. I asked them if I could go in to see my parent and they said, no visiting hours stop at 7pm. By this stage, it was just after 7pm. I said that the website said this was 8pm. They informed me that it would probably be wrong and they couldn't let me in as then they would have to let everyone else in, (there was no one else waiting to get in.) I said my parent was very ill and I only wanted to see them for a few minutes as I was going away for a few days and my relative had asked me to see them and their going into hospice was a possibility. The nurse asked for my details and my parent’s, and said they would ring the Ward Nurse. Once they had done this, they called me over to say that the Ward Nurse said my parent was fine and that they did not know anything about my parent moving to Hospice, so there was no need for me to visit. I argued that this was not the information my relative was given and that really, as according to the website the hospital was still open for visitors I should be able to see them and I was happy for this to be brief. The nurse promptly told me they would ring a senior staff member to come down if I wanted and I could discuss it with them and see what they had to say, so I agreed.

During this time as I waited, a cheery Security Guard, who had heard our interaction said to the Nurse that they would take me in to the ward to see my parent. I believe I heard the nurse mutter to them that I was not going in there. When the senior staff member arrived, they walked out of the door and looked at me and I started to tell my story. I stopped quickly as I noticed their face and their demeanour, and I said to them- "You're not going to let me see my parent are you?" I recall their reply was, no they are not. They went on to say that it was out of visiting hours. I told them about the website's listed hours and that I had based my whole decision on seeing my parent from 7.00pm on those hours and feeding my children. They said that the website was wrong and needed to be updated and that they would make sure it was changed. I asked them again to let me see my parent, saying that I only needed five minutes as they were expecting me and I had promised my relative and the website was not changed, so please honour the hours. I was calm and polite. They refused and in my opinion, become increasingly dogmatic, intimidating in their body language and rude in their tone and manner. They said there was no clinical reason that I needed to see my parent. I referred to Aishwarya's Law and my parent's chronic health history. The senior staff member said that they were not going to let me see my parent and kept repeating that there was no clinical reason that I needed to see them. I said that in any professional business when something is advertised or done wrong by that business they need to rectify that within the client's best interests- referring to the website advertising the wrong hours and that I was happy to negotiate 5 minutes in the room with them watching as I was going away. The senior staff member's counter- argument to this was to say that I could ring the hospital the next morning before 7am and they would check as to how my father's night had been and if it had been bad, they would then let me come up and visit them outside of visiting hours. I was incredulous. This was their solution?- I couldn't visit my parent this evening past 7pm, (even though the website said 8 and I recall the staff admitted this was true,) but they would let me see my parent the next day outside of visiting hours. I thought this was very unreasonable and I felt the staff member delivered this information in a seemingly bullying manner- I said they knew that I was not going to be able to see my parent for a few days and I believe they shrugged and said, that's when they’ll let me see my parent.

I felt the staff member showed no compassion or regard for the core principles of the WA Health System. Again, I felt in further irony, it was now just past 7.30pm and had I been allowed to see my father for five minutes when I first arrived, I would have been satisfied and long gone. I decided this conversation was not only upsetting to me but very pointless and was being led by a senior staff member with a clear Power-trip in my opinion. I decided to politely leave at approximately 7.40pm-I believe still well inside the hospital's advertised visiting hours.

Staff attitude