"Good & Bad Care at the hospital ED"

I attended the Armadale ED department on a weekend evening. I was having central chest pain with palpitations.

My spouse spoke to the ED clerk who said I should take a number and wait my turn to see the triage nurse. The palpitations were continuing and my heart rate was very fast around 200 beats a minute. My spouse then went back to the Triage nurse and told them key symptoms again but was told to wait for my turn which I recall they said was after another two patients were to be triaged.

When it was my turn and the nurse took my pulse rate and saw I was having a irregular heartbeat with a rate around 200bpm I recall their eyes rolled in shock and then I was sent in to the ED.

My treatment after that was great from all the nurses and doctors I saw and I cannot thank them enough.  My main concern is that I believe a patient with chest pain and palpitations should be seen immediately and not after another half hour on arrival to an ED as time is critical to treat cardiac patients.

I have a history of AF, SVT and a stroke and I believe I could have had a stroke whilst waiting to be seen and triaged.  I am not happy of the Triage process that night but was very happy with the care received once I was in the Treating bays in ED. Fortunately that night it was just a scare and my heart rate came back to a normal rhythm but it could have been detrimental.

Please could you review the Triage process for any chest pain related symptoms and what nurses are actually suppose to do as I felt I was treated like a number on arrival and not a human being who was unwell.