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My child was misdiagnosed and overdosed

Posted By Distraught-Parent

"My child was misdiagnosed and overdosed"

About: Kalgoorlie Health Campus / Medical Imaging Kalgoorlie Health Campus / Surgical Ward

(as a parent/guardian),

In early 2023, I presented at ED with my child with chronic lower abdominal pain. We were put into a cubicle right at the end and left alone. It was only another nurse working nearby who heard my child crying in pain, that they popped heir head in and checked on us. We were then put up the front near the main desk. They eventually ended up giving my child morphine and fentanyl due to their pain and upon diagnosis, tried to tell me they had gastro. 

An ultrasound was done that lasted about 20 minutes, as the doctor was teaching someone, they said they couldn't see anything. An x-ray was also done. They couldn't see anything. They told me they didn't want to do a CT as they didn't want to expose my child to the radiation.

Due to being given multiple shots of narcotics, we were admitted onto the children's ward.  My child's pain increased and they ended up giving more morphine and fentanyl. At one point they gave my child oxycodeine as they could not be given any more of the previous two. They reacted badly (as I told them my child would) and they went back to morphine and fentanyl. Ping ponging between the 2.

After speaking with a nurse, I was advised that my child had been given more narcotics than any other child had ever been given and something was dreadfully wrong. The painkillers were no longer working for longer than about 15 minutes.  I then demanded for a review. They gave in and sent my child for a CT scan. He had appendicitis and needed immediate surgery.

Whilst my child was waiting for the team to arrive (approx an hour), it ruptured and no amount of painkillers helped. My child was screaming at me to let them die.

They were finally operated on at approx. 1.30am the following morning. Upon them bringing my child back onto the ward, a nurse on the surgical team advised they had given my child a shot of Narcain after the surgery, however it failed to wake them up. They thought my child just screamed themselves exhausted. 

I have since met with a senior staff member who assured me it would be looked into. I have not heard back since.

My child still suffers great anxiety over that night and has fears of going to sleep on their own. 

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Responses

Response from Peter Tredinnick, Executive Director, Regional Office, WACHS Goldfields 7 months ago
Peter Tredinnick
Executive Director, Regional Office,
WACHS Goldfields

Executive Director WACHS Goldfields

Submitted on 25/09/2024 at 1:44 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 1:45 PM

picture of Peter Tredinnick

Dear Distraught-Parent

I am so sorry to read about your experience at Kalgoorlie Hospital in early 2023 involving the care and treatment of your child. Although some time has passed, I am very appreciative that you have shared your story with us, acknowledging that this may have been difficult to relive.

I would like to sincerely apologise for the distress you and your child experienced and say how sorry I am that you were left feeling unheard and unsupported. I am also concerned and very sorry that you have not received any correspondence from our team following your meeting with senior staff at the time.

We know that in conjunction with providing clinically appropriate care, listening and being compassionate are key to building positive relationships and trust with our patients and their families, as well as being related to better health outcomes for our patients. Within this context and the addition of a new Head of Surgical Services at Kalgoorlie Hospital, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to undertake a clinical review of your child’s case. So I can initiate an investigation, I would appreciate it if you could please contact us on 9080 5237 or via email at: gsegcg@health.wa.gov.au.

I would also like to take this opportunity to let you know that we have a process in place for patients and their families and carers to escalate any concerns they might have about the healthcare they are receiving. The Aishwarya’s Call and Respond Early (CARE) Call process enables people to request urgent assistance when they are concerned about their health and feel that their healthcare team has not fully recognised their changing health condition. When a CARE Call is made, a senior staff member listens to the concerns of the person making the CARE Call and makes a full assessment of the patient’s situation. The senior staff member then liaises with the treating medical team and other health care providers as required. If you should need it in the future, the Aishwarya’s CARE Call phone number for all hospitals in the Goldfields is 1800 976 123.

Thank you again for sharing your story with us. Feedback, such as yours, is immensely valuable in supporting us to continually improve the care we provide.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely

Peter Tredinnick
Executive Director
WACHS Goldfields

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by Distraught-Parent (a parent/guardian)

Thank you, Peter for your reply.

However, due to the lack of response from one of the senior members when I first raised the concern, I do not trust the process and would like to have an independent doctor review the case.

I have already put in for 2 requests to the hospital to have the notes on my child's admission handed over, however the first time we were sent only the discharge paperwork and then after I requested a second time with the medication prescribed, I was only supplied the list of medication, not the amounts.

Once I have received the information from the Freedom of Information desk, I will email you my child's details so you can look into it, but I will be getting it reviewed by a doctor I trust.

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