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Voice not heard

Posted By ink6306

"Voice not heard"

About: Royal Perth Hospital / Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgery

(as the patient),

I want to ask based on my experience, "Is it policy to postpone healthcare by specialists for public patients?". Do they intentionally push rural, senior, patients to the bottom of the pile, as I feel they do.

For RPH, once I got in, Ms.Dr. Patricia treated me with clear, kind, informative care. She noted my difficulty with gag reflex and was the only doctor to ever use a novacaine -spray. I was so happy. I did not throw up on a doctor looking at my throat. I didn't for the endoscope, either. In all the years, why did no doctor suggest this? It was the reason I was hesitant at first about an endoscope, as I told my GP. This was in use for decades! Ms. Dr Patricia was the ENT surgeon who treated me like a human being.

Isn't it odd that just being treated with respect can be so memorable in healthcare?

Most of the nursing staff were similarly kind, even when repulsed by my nearly toothless smile.

As for the 3 year delay from RPH, yes, the 7 cm lymphangioma was removed three years ago. But I think in the years before that it was the size of a skin tag. Maybe a pea by the end of the year. By the time I was calling it my throat slug, It was probably 3-4 cm long, like a skinny water balloon. That meant it blocked my airway often. That meant choking and vomiting multiple times per day. It meant feeling a thing come up, lie on my tongue and then having to swallow it and residual vomit back down, in order to breathe. It meant my husband watching me fight this battle multiple times a day, tears on his face. It meant leaving my shop closed. It meant fishing out and rinsing off a tooth as it finally gave up. ( I had caps and 2 1/2 years of vomiting had acid etched from underneath) I keep most in an envelope in my handbag. I want admin at RPH to see them. I did not fish some of them out from toilets I threw up in.

I have met good nurses. Dr Patricia was kind and compassionate and skilled. But the 3 years it took me to get to her had already ruined me.

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Responses

Response from Lesley Bennett, Chief Executive, East Metropolitan Health Service 14 months ago
Lesley Bennett
Chief Executive,
East Metropolitan Health Service

Submitted on 14/02/2023 at 12:15 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 2:03 PM

picture of Lesley Bennett

Dear ink6306,

I was deeply sorry to read of your past experience and feelings around the significant wait time for treatment as a public patient. I would like to assure you however, that the Royal Perth Bentley Group prides itself on providing equitable care to all our patients by using the first on, first off principle when booking appointments. While it is difficult to comment on your particular case, I would like to invite you to contact the Consumer Engagement Unit on 9224 1637 or via email: RPBG.Feedback@health.wa.gov.au who can look into this matter further for you.

It was lovely to hear that you did receive ‘clear, kind and informative care’ from your ENT surgeon at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH). Your feedback assures me that the staff at RPH are delivering high quality, compassionate and patient-centred care and I will be delighted to pass on your appreciation to the doctor and nurses involved in caring for you.

Thank you for letting us know of your experience so that we can learn and improve the care we deliver to our patients and the community.

I wish you all the best with your future healthcare needs.

Kind regards

Dr Lesley Bennett

Executive Director

Royal Perth Bentley Group

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Update posted by ink6306 (the patient)

First, let me say Jane at Consumer Engagement at RPH was a clear, encouraging voice. I felt she tried.

I've told of throat and teeth damage from delayed care due to what I believe was RPH not informing Central Referral Service that they were unable to service ENT.

You saw contact, from a senior staff member and I followed that.

A few months ago I had xrays called for by the Oral Health at RPH. Then I got an appointment a couple of months later which was later changed by them to a few weeks after this. At this the oral surgeon who would be doing the operation informed my OH and I that 1/ General Anaesthetic oral surgery is one day per month for public patients. 2/ I was priority because of damage and infection and would be done in 2-3 months; expect a pre-admission call a week or so before.

A few weeks later a pre-admission form arrived on the phone. With difficulty it was filled in and submitted. 5 weeks later the admissions office calls asking if I am still interested in a surgery I have been begging for, for 2 1/2 years and then tells me I'll be waitlisted. Waitlisting from RPH has not been a good thing for me. I ask them to send a paper form to my home, as well as filling in another online form. This one says 'form already submitted’.

I contact Consumer Engagement. I list 3 problems a) the form timed out a lot b) Admissions waited 5 weeks to check, I feel it should be earlier c) if my online information wasn't at RPH, where was it? I believe this was a known glitch at Admissions for months.

I do not swear. I state that I do not want to be reasonable waiting again, I was told I'd have teeth by Christmas. I stated that I was angry. No name-calling, nothing of that sort.

What do I get back, I get what I feel was a punitive, patronising response. RPH has seemingly decided to move me to Priority 3. It will now take a year for me to be seen. Am I feeling sad and depressed by this? Awwww, maybe I should seek mental health help in my town 140 km from Perth. Because I was never in RPH catchment. It seems to me I should never have ever been treated by them. Which makes me wonder again why RPH ever took my ENT referral.

I recall I was told thank you for telling them about the glitches with the info and Admissions, that was such a help! So, I feel they’ve negated my valid input and downgraded my surgery.

No, I don't want a response.

In my opinion, Royal Perth Has already shown what its policy is.

I feel I can’t trust the Central Referral Service. I feel I can’t wait for hospitals to call me back, it seems I need to call weekly at least. Do whatever I have to to get into an appointment. Based on my experience, I feel I can’t believe/ trust hospital administration.

Response from Ben Noteboom, Executive Director, Royal Perth Bentley Group 4 months ago
Ben Noteboom
Executive Director,
Royal Perth Bentley Group

Submitted on 29/11/2023 at 2:10 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 2:10 PM

picture of Ben Noteboom

Dear ink6303

I was very sorry to read your follow up response on Care Opinion detailing your experience and continuing challenges in navigating your way through the WA Health system.

The response letter to your complaint was written with a genuine concern for your wellbeing, so I was saddened to hear that you felt patronised by this. On occasion, there are complexities within the public health system that do appear unnecessary for our patients; however, please let me assure you that your situation has been extensively and closely case managed across the Ear Nose and Throat and Oral and Maxillofacial Services to ensure you receive the best possible outcome for your diagnosis and treatment in line with the clinical urgency and priority of your condition in comparison to others.

The medical teams involved in managing your case have collectively agreed to provide your treatment to ensure you receive continuity of care at one hospital. The treatment you will receive also includes services that are generally provided in the private sector; nonetheless, it was acknowledged that your quality of life was significantly impacted and so arrangements were made to ensure your treatment options were fully optimised and that these services will be provided by Royal Perth Hospital (RPH). I would also like to assure you that the surgery you are waiting for was not re-categorised and is appropriate for your diagnosis as determined by the WA Health Elective Surgery Access and Waitlist Management Policy. Regrettably, it does appear that you were misinformed that your surgery would happen within a shorter timeframe during your Outpatient consult and I extend my heartfelt apology for the distress your wait time is causing you.

I want to assure you that the dedicated staff at RPH work diligently to provide high-quality care to all patients and I am sorry if your experience fell short of these expectations.

Thank you for sharing your story on Care Opinion.

Kind regards

Ben Noteboom

A/Executive Director

Royal Perth Bentley Group

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