"Staff interaction with family"

My parent has been a patient of St. George for a number of years. I cannot fault the care they have received but I can make comments on how family can be treated when simply trying to contact the patient to see if anything is needed. I try to visit daily so I don’t bother anyone unnecessarily but there are times when I need to call and cannot get through for hours on end or at all.

My other elderly parent is unable to speak to their spouse because the phones are not answered. When we eventually get through we get snapped at or told off because the nursing staff is too busy to pass the phone on to the patient. I understand the work is demanding and hectic but I believe it is out of line to take it out on family members who are having their own difficulties especially with someone who is terminally ill.

We are juggling care and specialists and work and everything in between and I think it gets forgotten that we have our own struggles and wanting to simply touch base to see if the patient needs anything before a visit, I feel should not be handled by the phone being picked up and hung up straight away just to get rid of the call or having someone say sorry too busy, can’t help you.