"Gastroscopy Suite"

I'm a patient from the country who went to Fremantle Hospital for a day procedure. My first interaction at reception was very good; the receptionists were kind and efficient. I believe the waiting rooms could do with some more comfortable seating; and/or a formation that is less like a row of school chairs.

Being collected from the waiting room and getting ready was probably the least pleasant experience of the day. The PSA did not introduce themselves to me, they did not ask me to follow them or let me know what was happening. When they fetched me the gowns to wear, they told me I had to remove all of my underwear! I refused and clarified this with a nurse; underwear can be kept on for nearly all procedures and definitely stays on for gastroscopy. I'm scared to think how many underwear-less bottoms have sat on those vinyl chairs/recliners in plastic gowns!

Side note: I think the blue plastic gowns are horrendous.  You have to spend most of the day in one and I find they are sweaty, scratchy and wholly unpleasant. I can see how they are convenient (velcro tabs), but I found they are far inferior to original cotton hospital gowns. I believe there must be a way to overcome this age-old functional design problem.

The wait was long but I suppose not unexpected. When I was finally taken into the endoscopy suite, the anaesthetist I met was lovely. She took the time to explain the options to me, after which I chose sedation however she reassured me that she'd have general anaesthetic ready to go if she needed to fully anaesthetise me. Thank you Dr P; it was so nice to be spoken to as an equal.

All of the nurses that dealt with me during the day were kind and helpful. It was reassuring to see the 'Hello, my name is...' badges. It really makes you feel like you can approach one of those people and ask for anything. 

Lastly, every single interaction between staff concerning me that I witnessed followed excellent three-point patient identification rules. I was always informed that a handover was taking place and for what reason. Overall, my experience was very good, albeit long and a bit scratchy (those gowns!).