"Rudeness at the hospital"

Dear lacertagh58,

I am sorry to hear about your experience at the Kununurra Hospital Emergency Department. As the East Kimberley Operations Manager, I take all feedback about our clinical teams seriously.

We are committed to treating all patients with respect, empathy and professionalism. It is unacceptable for any staff member to be rude or belittling.

I have asked the Kununurra Hospital Senior Medical Officer to investigate the matter and to take appropriate action.

In addition, I apologise that the long wait time on this occasion caused distress for you and your parent. Our primary goal in the Emergency Department is to help patients access emergency care when they have an emergency. I have asked for our processes in relation to communication about waiting times to be reviewed to ensure that patients are offered an opportunity to seek alternative care options when the Emergency Department is under stress managing patients with higher priority care needs.

Access to good General Practices in Kununurra offer the option to make a stress-free appointment at your convenience, as well as continuity of care with the same doctor. For a chronic condition, continuity of care and a therapeutic relationship with a GP is integral to better patient outcomes, and I would encourage you to seek a regular appointment with one of the many wonderful GPs in the Kununurra community for this reason.

Please reach out to us on 08 9166 4233 to organise an appointment to speak to Dr Catherine Engelke, our Senior Medical Officer, if you wish to discuss this matter further or provide further information.

Your feedback is invaluable to improving our service, and to identifying how to prevent similar situations in the future, so thank you for sharing your experience.

Kindest Regards,

Pattie Scott

East Kimberley Operations Manager