"Staffing shortage"

Hi doradokp84,

I would firstly like to say how sorry I am to hear that you felt your care was neglected during your stay in Derby Hospital and that inappropriate comments made to you have left you feeling concerned and unsettled. We expect our staff to be professional and supportive in providing care to all of our patients and I will share your feedback with them for their reflection.

I would like to assure you that patients are our priority and we have measures in place to ensure that their care and treatment is safe and effective; sometimes this can involve procuring staff from other clinical areas. I will take this opportunity to remind our staff that in the event they need assistance due to an increase in patients, that they use the relevant processes in place to seek help and support. In relation to your personal experience, I would like to understand the staffing and patient levels during your stay to be better informed of the circumstances surrounding this. My name is Tracey Hepi and I am the Coordinator of Nursing and Midwifery. You can call me on my mobile 0427 641 739 or send me an email at: tracey.hepi@health.wa.gov.au.

You raise a very important point about cultural awareness training and its importance when providing health services in our community. We will review this as a priority and ensure we are providing effective timely education for our new staff.

I would like to reassure you that we are doing everything within our power to keep our regional health service sites operational, against a backdrop of ongoing workforce pressures from a regional, national and global perspective. We have asked our healthcare staff in the Kimberley to work under very challenging circumstances and they have risen and continue to rise resoundingly to the challenge. We especially acknowledge the difficulties for staff working in our health service sites in the most remote locations, such as Derby.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Tracey