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"Mental health ED"

About: Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital / Emergency Department

(as the patient),

I presented to the emergency department at Hornsby with mental health concerns due to previous domestic abuse. 

I requested to speak with a female as I am uncomfortable around men due to past trauma. 

I was told that I would have to wait for a few hours to speak to a female registrar and if I didn’t wait the male mental health nurse would call the police on me. 

The initial doctor whom triaged , Alisa, I spoke to was great and really helped me become less distressed. However I was told that in order to leave I would have to wait to speak to the psychiatric registrar. 

I felt one of the male mental health nurse, however was intimidating. In a past experience with them when I was vulnerable and reaching out for help (family has alcoholism and domestic violence) I recall they told me I was responsible for my parents problems and needed to fix them. Thus I did not feel comfortable speaking with them on this occasion. Whilst I was waiting in the corridor, they followed me to which I walked quickly back to the room I was in. I asked them to go away as I am scared of men, to which they replied, I’ll stay here as long as I want. They then went away when a nurse walked past. 

A few hours later I was still waiting to see the psychiatric registrar. I asked the nurses if I could leave as I had work tomorrow. They replied that I was voluntary so it was fine. I then told them how the other nurse threatened to call the police on me if I left- they rang the nurse and they said that they would do so. 

I’ve been left feeling mistreated and disrespected by the whole experience. 

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