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ED is Useless

Posted By JustGiveMeCare

"ED is Useless"

About: Swan Hill District Hospital / Emergency Department

(as the patient),

I believe Swan Hill has the slowest ED outside Melbourne.

I have never seen such a slow emergency department. I understand Melbourne has long waits. They are a busy environment. But Swan Hill is just slow / useless in my opinion.

Patients I've noticed come in with seemingly relatively minor injuries and just need basic care. They file into the waiting room. I was there watching them. The waiting room filled. Then the foyer. Then the area outside the entry door. There were no major injuries, but still required care.

I watched this happen from the afternoon to late evening. No one went in and nothing was happening. It was like the doctors had all knocked off.

I left after 7 hours. When I told the receptionist I was leaving I recall they even commented, Sorry. These doctors are all so slow tonight. They arent sure what they are doing.

What a great confidence booster this was. Glad I wasn't really sick.

I ended up driving to another hospital and got treated within 30 min. Maybe I should have done that in the first place.

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Responses

Response from Swan Hill District Health 8 months ago
Swan Hill District Health

Submitted on 27/11/2024 at 10:38 AM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 4:36 PM

Dear JustGiveMeCare,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I genuinely understand how frustrating and disheartening this must have been for you.

At Swan Hill District Health, we strive to provide quality care to all patients. However, there are times when multiple factors—some visible and others not—impact the flow and responsiveness of our Emergency Department (ED).

Emergency Departments operate on a triage system, which means patients with life-threatening or more severe conditions are treated first. Although some injuries may appear minor, their complexity and the demand on available staff can influence waiting times.

Every staff member, regardless of role, has a responsibility to uphold confidence in our care and I understand this was not the case with your experience.

I would be happy to investigate the nature of the delays on the particular day. I encourage you to formally lodge your feedback with your contact details through to Jackie Ingwersen, Consumer Consultant within our Quality, Experience and Safety department on feedback@shdh.org.au and we can investigate your care episode in detail and use this as an opportunity to improve.

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