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Dislocated shoulder

Posted By Healthy Beaconite

"Dislocated shoulder"

About: Northam Health Service

(as a relative),

My husband dislocated his shoulder playing football.  Unfortunately, there was no doctor on duty at Wyalkatchem Hospital and we had to proceed to Northam Hospital emergency, 150km away, with my husband in increasing discomfort.

The doctor at Northam Hospital did their best but was the only one on duty.  It took quite a bit of painful manipulation of the shoulder to finally get it back into alignment.  The doctor was unable to put my husband under general anaesthetic for the procedure as they were the only one on duty. The process was quite difficult and painful, despite the pain medication that was administered.

My husband eventually made a full recovery but the whole experience would have been improved by better services in the Wheatbelt ie. Doctor on call at the closest hospital.

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Responses

Response from Sean Conlan, Regional Director, WA Country Health Service - Wheatbelt 7 years ago
Sean Conlan
Regional Director,
WA Country Health Service - Wheatbelt

Submitted on 19/10/2017 at 6:55 PM
Published on Care Opinion on 20/10/2017 at 9:51 AM

Dear Healthy Beaconite,

I am sorry to hear of the difficulties your husband experienced whilst accessing our services. Enquiries will be made with the senior Emergency Department Doctor at Northam as to what we could have done better in these circumstances.

I am not sure if you are aware but within the small country towns, General Practitioners are appointed by the Shires. WA Country Health Service then has an agreement with the doctor to provide services to the hospital during the week, leaving their weekends free to enable a work-life balance. This normally occurs with the GP in Wyalkatchem.

Patients that present to Wyalkatchem are assessed by the duty nurses, and if a doctor is required nurses are able to contact the Emergency Telehealth Service (ETS) during the service operating hours. This service is provided by Emergency Medical Specialists using video conferencing equipment that is installed in the emergency department and allows the specialists to talk to the patient and nurses and advise of appropriate treatment, prescribe pain relief and instruct the nurses in the immobilisation of the shoulder prior to travelling to receive further treatment.

At the Northam Health Service there is only one doctor on in the Emergency Department after hours, however, we do have two doctors that can be called in to assist if required. We do encourage our doctors to use the on-call backup service when demand becomes high, a significant medical presentation or they require further assistance to ensure patients are treated in a timely and professional manner.

Mr Trenton Greive, Operations Manager Western Wheatbelt is happy for you to contact him should you wish to discuss your concerns or any of the above information.

He can be contacted on (08) 9690 1315 or Trenton.greive@health.wa.gov.au.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us on Patient Opinion and I am pleased to hear your husband has made a full recovery.

Kind regards

Sean Conlan

Regional Director - Wheatbelt

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