"Communication and information needed for new patients"

I experienced being a patient of Sydney Eye Hospital and Hand Clinic recently. First day I have been sent by GP to the Emergency Department for my infectious finger after I received a phone call the day after I have got my X-ray results. When I reached the hospital around mid-afternoon, I've had a good experience and all staff and nurses team looked after me while I was waiting for the doctor. Even if I had to wait for a long time I didn't feel bad but understood the process. After that, I was sent home and got an appointment for the Hand Clinic the next morning. The doctor told me not to drink or eat after midnight of that day. My last meal is around 7:30 pm.

Morning time I went to the hospital by appointment at 8:15 am. I submitted all referred documents from the emergency team to staff and waited for someone to take me to work out with doctor and paper. I had no idea by that time what was going to happen next and how long I should wait. All the time I spent waiting would not feel so long if I got some information that I can have some breakfast or can fill my stomach with something. Until I saw the doctor and worked out paperwork around 10:00 am I found out then that I can have breakfast. But anyway, it's too late then, I can only drink apple juice or water before 10:30 am. After that, I still needed to wait in the other room and acknowledged only from a brochure around the waiting room why I should wait. By 4 pm patients came and went. It's so frustrating because I didn't eat after 7:30 pm the night before and until 4 pm the next day and it's painful inside my finger. Also, didn't know anything until my friend who's always with me asked the nurse that was around for some help.

I finally got surgery after that around 4:30-4:45 pm. After I finished, I was sent to the recovery unit. Frustrating again when I needed to wait for 1 hour in total there without food, drink or even a chance to tell my friend to go home or what happened to me. Other patients came and went again. Until I was frustrated again and raised my hand to ask and acknowledged that I have to wait for the nurse who looked after me. I complained to them and got some information by asking them. After that, I have been placed in the ward. I got good experiences after that with a team of nurses and doctor for 2 nights in the ward.

I just feel like it's almost not really a good experience when I got to know nothing in some period of time or misled information caused me to be hungry. I would like to share my story to get proactive strategies for some part of the hospital. Anyway, thank you to the strong team at Sydney Hospital who looked after me well. It's so impressive.