"Critical Care Unit discharge."

Having been admitted to the new Critical Care Unit at the Angliss Hospital with Influenza A and Pneumonia, I was cared for at a reasonable level for the first few days. A couple of days after being admitted I was asked to move to another room in the ward, as the room I was in had monitors. The room I was moved to didn't. I understand that there were many sicker than me in the CCU.

Keeping me isolated, the doctor was reluctant to discharge me four days later and was hoping that I would not be discharged by the next on-duty doctor the following day. That day the doctor didn't come near me until 12:25pm as I was eating lunch. He asked if I wanted to go home, naturally I said yes. The doctor's reply was that they 4 other people waiting for my bed, so they are sending me home. Within 3 minutes of his departure from my room, I had to have my bag packed, get dressed, ring my spouse to collect me and was put in a wheelchair while I watched staff strip and clean the room I had just been in 30 seconds earlier. I sat there for about 5 minutes facing this room, waiting for the paperwork to be organised for the person in control of the wheelchair.

I was removed from CCU with the only instructions being to take the antibiotics they were sending me home with. I was wheeled to the Transition Lounge where I waited for nearly an hour with my spouse for the medication to be brought to me. In the end I was offered the option of waiting for the Pharmacist to dispense the medication or taking the prescriptions to the Chemist on my way home.

While my treatment in the new CCU was pretty good, the discharge procedure (or lack thereof) was absolutely appalling. I get there were sicker people than me who needed the bed, but that does not excuse the disgusting manner in which I felt I was kicked out of the hospital. The fact that there was no Discharge Instructions other than - take the tablets - left me reeling. If that is standard procedure, then the hospital needs to take a long hard look at this process. And next time I will not be using my Private Health Insurance to fund my stay.