"Emergency room waiting and prioritisation"

I attended the Geelong hospitals emergency department in the later evening with my spouse who had been crippled by back pain in the early evening to the point of could not move on the floor let alone get up. Called an ambulance an hour after it started waited 15min for triage to call back then to be told my spouse needs to go to hospital, but ambo is 2 hours away but that’s a different complaint.

We decided was better to get my spouse in the car in agony and get to the hospital. Should have left them on the floor I feel! I needed a friend to assist getting them in the car and to stay with our 2 kids.

3 hour sitting in what I felt was the most non ergonomic chair imaginable with already crippling back pain. No offer of a bed, wheelchair, nothing.

To finally be walked to a bed, keep in mind struggling to stand or sit but again no offer of any assistance. Once in the bed again asked to tell the same story that was told to triage 3 hours earlier! Then finally some pain relief. 

Yet at the time I sit typing this a further 3 hours later and still yet to see a doctor. 6 hours yet their website says from 1.5- 4.5 hours.

I think Geelong hospital has forgotten what triage and health care is. A young adult comes in with dust in their eye 2 hours in to our wait yet was seen to hours ago, yet a young baby who arrive not long after us still sat in the waiting room once we were bought through. Both my spouse (in pain) and I agreed the baby should have been seen before us. I saw another person with a sore hand received X-rays (showed nothing, I believe) and a cast and sent on their way before the person who can’t walk unassisted or without grunting and crying in agony.

Both my kids were born in this hospital and I told everyone how fantastic the  staff and facilities were. I will definitely not be providing any good feedback for the Geelong hospital anymore. Sorry to the staff and management of the maternity ward as clearly your counter parts in the ED have ruined the high opinion I had of this facility!