"Emergency Department Wait Time"

Dear Abrolhos,

Thank you for sharing your feedback on Patient Opinion and I apologise for the delay in responding to you. I have been following up on a few matters that were raised in your post.

I was disappointed to read about your experience and I am sorry for the distress this caused. Volunteers are available to assist with helping people in situations such as you describe and I was disappointed to hear that there was no-one available at the time you required it. We are monitoring this closely to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of volunteers in the ED. Unfortunately without the knowledge of date and time of initial presentation, we are unable to look into your specific situation. I encourage you to contact us on 6152 4013 to give us your details to enable this.

In peak times, patients are not routinely left in wheelchairs in the waiting room for a number of reasons including possible trips hazard and space. It is routine to use a wheelchair to transport the patient into the waiting room and then place them on a seat. Normally they are placed closer to the staff area so they can signal staff or volunteers if required. Wheelchairs are often removed from the department when patients are transferred to other areas and we do need to ensure these are returned in a timely manner to ensure they are available for patients when they are needed.

The wait times that are posted on the screens in the waiting area are the average time for a triage 4. How quickly a patient receives care after being triaged is dependent on their presenting symptoms and condition, it is often the case that others will be seen quicker if their needs are more urgent. Consideration also needs to be given to patients arriving via ambulance. The wait time on the screen is updated as the situation changes within the ED but can only be used as a guide.

I hope that you have recovered well.

Kind regards

Neil Doverty