"Our child's fever"

Recently, we (myself, my partner, and child (patient)) arrived at the Fiona Stanley Hospital, Children's Emergency Department. We waited about 5 mins before we were asked to sit at the triage nurse window. Soon after, I recall the triage nurse walked away and came back after few minutes. They asked the reason we were there and started to enter notes to the computer. We mentioned to them that we were there because my child might be having a fever and they shiver from time to time. We also mentioned that our child has had a fit on a previous occasion, when they had a high temperature. We also mentioned that we gave them Nurofen a few hours before.

The nurse went through the basic procedure and checked my child’s temperature and pulse. I recall the nurse said our child had a high fever around 40 C. Then they said we could give our child some Panadol to bring the fever down. Then we said to the nurse our child’s temperature was 37.5 C when we left home (about 20 mins ago) and could we please get some Panadol quickly as our child could get another fit if their temperature has risen to 40 C already. Then the nurse asked us to move to the next window to finish off the paperwork. After the paperwork was completed, we were asked to sit in the waiting area. Before we left the admin counter, I asked about the Panadol and the staff member that was doing the admin work said if the nurse knows about it, then go and have a seat.

5 mins went by, and I asked for the Panadol, and the staff member said just wait a little longer. Then I asked again and again almost every 10 mins for another three times and the nurse said someone will organise it and they are busy with another patient. In the meantime, we believe we could see the two staff members going through a set of documents and laughing and chatting. We waited for around half an hour and then I said to my partner that we are not getting any Panadol from here, so I looked up the map to see the closest pharmacy to get it ourselves. It didn’t take even a minute as my child started to have a fit and we ran towards the triage window and few other people in the waiting area screamed that the baby is having a seizure and get them inside immediately. That was when we managed to get in and then had to wait almost another 30 mins before my child got some Panadol as they were recovering from the seizure.

I feel this terrible incident wouldn’t have happened if the nurse was not so seemingly negligent and, in my opinion, incompetent at performing their duties. We never asked to go in or cut the line, all we asked for was some Panadol for our child. Doctors and nurses inside the ED ward were very apologetic but this incident happened, and their apologies aren’t going to assist my child’s situation. I feel the entire incident was a result of poor decision making and actions by the staff in the triage area.