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Poor interaction(s) trying to get a domiciliary service arra...

Posted By airwn64

"Poor interaction(s) trying to get a domiciliary service arranged"

About: PathWest Perth Collection Centre

(as a service user),

I am travelling from interstate to WA for work and I work in the healthcare field. Due to COVID-19 I am required to undertake 2 weeks quarantine as a precautionary measure. However, COVID-19 isn’t the only health issue I am required to be screened for. 

The health service I am employed with instructed me to request a domiciliary service when I was in quarantine to get my tests done. I rang up the number provided and followed the prompts and when I spoke to a person they said to me, ‘nahhh, you’ve pressed the wrong buttons in the menu, now I’m going to have to transfer you for that’. I felt I’d inconvenienced them. It went to voicemail and I left a message requesting a callback. 

I got a callback a day or so later and the person seemed utterly distracted. I explained I was in quarantine, my location, what tests were needed and asked when I could tell reception to expect them. They said the next day from 7am to 1pm. 

I woke early that morning with a call from someone who didn’t introduce themselves. When I asked, they said they were from PathWest and asked about my location. I felt I gave as much detail as I could but not being a local, I couldn’t give details of landmarks which I believe is what they wanted. It then occurred to the person that I’d just arrived in the state and so they cancelled my tests that morning saying ‘I’ll have to get someone else to do these because you’re COVID, and I have other compromised patients this morning’. 

Firstly I am not a disease (‘you are COVID’). Secondly, I don’t have COVID. I am doing my part to reduce its transmission by participating in isolation. Thirdly, I felt I communicated the circumstances of the situation in my initial phone call. So now I am left to ruminate about this unpleasant encounter in the confines of quarantine. 

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Responses

Response from Elaine Toogood, a/Manager Training and Development, Pre-Analytical services, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA 4 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Elaine Toogood
a/Manager Training and Development, Pre-Analytical services,
PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA

Manage Training and Development for PathWest

Submitted on 16/10/2020 at 11:17 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 11:26 AM

Dear airwn64,

I appreciate you to taking the time to provide your feedback regarding our domiciliary booking service and your interaction with the domiciliary staff. I am sorry that your experience with our domiciliary collection service did not meet your expectations.

Your feedback has provided an opportunity for us to improve our service. With regard to the prompts, we are currently reviewing the 13 path number prompt options to assist customers in selecting the appropriate domiciliary service and ensure the pathways are correct.

We are also reviewing our current customer service training and will be providing our domiciliary staff with additional customer service education, with regard to telephone etiquette and appropriate customer interaction.

I hope you will give us the opportunity to improve your experience of PathWest service with any future pathology collections if required. Please contact me on the number below if you wish to discuss further.

Kind regards

Elaine Toogood

A/General Manager PreAnalytical Service

6457 4514 | 0413 611 192

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Response from Elaine Toogood, a/Manager Training and Development, Pre-Analytical services, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA 4 years ago
We have made a change
Elaine Toogood
a/Manager Training and Development, Pre-Analytical services,
PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA

Manage Training and Development for PathWest

Submitted on 25/11/2020 at 12:54 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 1:22 PM

Dear airwn64,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you in person and discuss your experience with PathWest. In response to your feedback, we have made changes to our domiciliary booking line. We have amended the prompts to enable patients to book in with the appropriate domiciliary collection service.

In addition, we have engaged the services of a training provider to deliver customer service education to our staff in order to provide the staff with the tools to improve their customer service skills enabling them to provide a positive customer experience.

Please contact me on the number below if you wish to discuss further.

Kind regards

Elaine Toogood

A/General Manager PreAnalytical Service

6457 4514 | 0413 611 192

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
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