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"Did not feel cared for during or after same day surgery"

About: Armadale Hospital / Same Day Unit

(as the patient),

I was admitted to the Day Surgery Unit for a minor operation under general anaesthetic. A lot of fuss was made about the fact I was going to go home alone and had no one to stay overnight with me. I accepted full responsibility and understood the risks. I felt very anxious and distressed as I have pets that had no care arranged. Eventually, a decision was made to make me sign a Discharge Against Medical Advice form, which I fully accepted and cooperated with.

In theatre, the anaesthetist caused me considerable pain by slapping my hand hard to obtain IV Access. I asked the anaesthetist to stop and find a different vein, but they ignored my request. At this point I was lying on the theatre table and felt in a vulnerable position.

On my return to the Day Surgery Ward, after waking up from the operation, I was not given a drink of water (or anything else) nor any food to eat. I ended up having to buy food and drink at the hospital cafe. The nurse removed the IV cannula from my hand, put a dressing on top but no pressure. Of course the wound bled, and when I asked the nurse to replace the dressing, they simply stuck another dressing on top without cleaning up the blood on my hand.

Lastly, I received no discharge instructions nor a discharge letter to inform me of follow up appointments needed. I felt very rushed and not cared for, as if I was a nuisance taking up a precious bed and no one had any time for me.

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Responses

Response from Diane Barr, Executive Director, Armadale Kalamunda Group 4 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Diane Barr
Executive Director,
Armadale Kalamunda Group
Submitted on 1/07/2019 at 11:17 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 11:26 AM


picture of Diane Barr

Dear ophiuchustb83,

I am very sorry to read about your experience especially that you did not feel cared for. Being ignored is never acceptable and I do apologise that this happened. Our Head of Anaesthetics leads a very patient centred service and was disappointed to receive this feedback as it is not in line with the service we strive to provide every day. We will ensure your feedback is provided to the team.

Overall your description of your care is very disappointing. Ensuring patients are able to retain food and fluids following a procedure is part of the discharge planning process, so is not at all appropriate that you were not offered any refreshments. I am disappointed to hear that more care wasn’t taken when removing your IV cannula and that you were then not provided with any information about your procedure or follow up appointments. If you would like to get in touch with us on (08) 9391 1153 or AKG_ConsumerLiaison@health.wa.gov.au we can provide feedback to individual care providers on the impact your experience had.

The Nurse Unit Manager for the Same Day Unit is focusing on discharge planning processes and is undertaking education with staff to ensure patients are provided with adequate information and support following procedures to prevent further experiences like the one you have described.

We really appreciate you taking the time to get in contact with us and allowing us to look at our processes and practices more closely.

Kind regards,

Dianne Barr

Executive Director

Armadale Kalamunda Group

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