"Lack of communication"

Recently, I received a phone call from St Johns ambulance advising me that my 16-year-old child was enroute to Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital for an intentional overdose. I was shocked and very upset as any parent would be. 

I immediately drove the 58km to the hospital and attended the reception and advised that my child had been bought into ED and I wanted to go and see them. I recall the receptionist was quite rude and told me that my child was currently being triaged and that I would have to wait until they had finished.  Despite me being very upset and explaining that my child was only 16 and I needed to be with them, I was refused.

The receptionist seemingly tried to make light of it by telling me about a similar situation that had happened to them years ago, when I told them that I was not interested in their story and just wanted to know how my child was. I asked to take a seat, and they would go to find out some information. 

I was greeted about 15 minutes later by the ambulance officer that had bought my child in and told, that they had they hooked up to a few machines and the amount of tablets my child had taken were on the lower side and they would be ok.  I was approached about 20 minutes later by a nurse, advising me that my child did not want me to come in, but they were ok. 

I sat in that waiting room for nearly 3 hours, I watched around 3 or 4 patients come in and go, I cried, and I worried for my child.  It was now getting late into the night, where I had 2 other children at home waiting for me and an update on how their sibling was, so I went and asked for an update.  10 minutes later, a nurse came out and took me into where my child was in one of the bays. 

My child had been in the department for hours, they asked if they could have something to eat and was told on 2 occasions that someone would get them a piece of toast. That piece of toast never arrived.  I think that the level of care, to an upset parent was appalling. I feel you can't tell me that with the amount of staff behind the counter (at least 4 or 5), did not see a distraught parent sitting in your waiting room for 3 hours and none of those staff seemingly thought to come and give me an update on how my child was? 

The apparent total lack of empathy and the rudeness of the receptionist was, in my eyes, unacceptable.  I certainly think that your reception staff on this night could do with some pointers on communication. An upset parent, worried about their child does not need a receptionist to make small talk about their similar situation. I found it very inappropriate, especially when all I want is information on my child who is in the emergency dept.