"Waiting and assistance"

I went to ED at Fiona Stanley in the early hours of the morning after falling and injuring my ankle/foot so badly that I could not stand, walk or ambulate at all. I was initially happy to be waiting as long as necessary with the knowledge that my injury was a low concern in relation to the other patients in the ED but with the belief that surely staff would help me if I needed it, as surely they have a duty of care to the patients in their waiting room and surely they are people with empathy for other people.

I was left in the waiting room by myself unable to ambulate without anybody checking on me for over 3.5 hours. I understand that there are more emergent things going on, but there were frequently multiple staff in the waiting room and at triage that I believe saw me by myself unable to move and not once did anyone ask if I was okay or if I needed anything.

I believe I was in plain view of triage and clearly distressed, crying and alone. Another patient had to assist me into the bathroom because although I had managed to use my good foot to push myself on a wheelchair over to the bathroom, I was unable to push the door open to enter myself.

I was crying, hyperventilating and in a state of panic because I had just finished a 12 hour shift, I had not eaten in over 10 hours, I had not drank any water since before I arrived, I was in pain, I had nobody around to help me and it seemed like staff were wilfully ignoring me as being dramatic.

I saw the doctor after 4 hours and was given crutches, told to take panadol and nurofen and to see my GP. They wheeled me out to the curb as I was crying and left me there and told me to take an uber home. My phone was dying and it died while I was trying to call someone to wake them up and come pick me up. I felt staff showed little concern at all for my wellbeing and it seemed like they just wanted to be rid of me.

I understand that I was not about to die and so I was not the most important person in that department, but I am still a human and in my opinion this is not good enough. I worked in a hospital for several years and I would never leave a patient who was clearly distressed and unable to ambulate without assistance for that long and park them on the curb outside to fend for themselves when they couldn't walk!

I cannot believe that not one person asked me if I was okay or if they could do something to help. It is disgusting to me the apparent apathy shown by staff at FSH ED.

To have not even offered a tissue, a glass of water or assistance with using the bathroom seemingly shows an appalling lack of regard for the wellbeing of other people which is incredibly disturbing to me. Based on my experience, shame on you.