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Care Opinion

Experience in ED Geraldton Hospital

Posted By hydrusrp97

"Experience in ED Geraldton Hospital"

About: Geraldton Hospital / Outpatient Services

(as a parent/guardian),

Recently, I had my young son with Type 1 diabetes mellitus who was quite unwell. I just wanted to comment about how great it was to have a nurse floating in the waiting room completing regular clinical observations on the patients who had been triaged but waiting to see the doctor. Imogen was the nurse in the waiting room whilst we were there. She was so thorough with her assessments with my son and continued to check on us and I also noticed how genuinely caring and compassionate she was with all the other patients waiting. She mentioned this wasn’t her normal workplace area, but she was so competent and confident in her care and I am so glad she was working that afternoon, it made our experience so much better.

Having a young child with a serious chronic disease like type 1 diabetes and being unwell is very stressful. My previous experiences bringing him into ED overnight and waiting for hours in the waiting room without anyone checking on us had been extremely stressful and traumatic on many occasions where he actually deteriorated because he wasn’t monitored. 

I’m not sure if having the waiting room nurse is a normal part of service delivery but I just wanted to say that I hope it continues with even more importance to have a nurse overnight when children typically present unwell to EDs. Imogen was amazing and I felt that I wasn’t the only patient/parent who felt the reassurance that someone was keeping an eye on us, particularly when sick children present to a mixed adult/paeds ED and how quickly children can deteriorate. 

To further comment, it would be good to see in the future that paediatric patients and adult patients are triaged differently with an urgency for unwell children under the age of 5, particularly with chronic disease or a separate waiting area to prevent contracting other illnesses such as gastro/flu from patients in the waiting room. 

Thank you again to Imogen and the consultant doctor who assessed us. 

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Responses

Response from Cameron Ross, Operations Manager Geraldton Hospital, Midwest, WA Country Health Service 2 months ago
Cameron Ross
Operations Manager Geraldton Hospital, Midwest,
WA Country Health Service

Operations Manager Clinical Services

Submitted on 24/07/2024 at 5:47 PM
Published on Care Opinion on 25/07/2024 at 8:52 AM

picture of Cameron Ross

Dear hydrusrp97,

Thank you for sharing your experience on Care Opinion.

I acknowledge having to take your unwell son into the Emergency Department would have been a stressful experience for you both and I am delighted to hear how supported you were whilst your son was waiting to be seen and then during his medical assessment.

The waiting room nurse is part of our Emergency Department Team and has oversight of patients in the ED waiting room and can commence assessment and treatment of patients as well as escalate patient care needs as required. I am pleased that Imogen was able to fulfill this valuable role and provide you and your son with an overall positive ED experience. We will ensure both the ED nursing and medical team are acknowledged for their care and compassion.

The clinical priorities and the principles of urgency for infants, children and adolescents are the same as those for adults however it is acknowledged the value of parents, carers or significant others and their capacity to identify deviations from normal in their child’s level of function is not to be underestimated. Geraldton Hospital is endorsed to use the Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) Emergency Department Guidelines to also assist with the assessment of paediatric patients presenting to a WACHS ED.

I also acknowledge it would be ideal to have a separate wait room for adults and paediatric patients and we look forward to the redevelopment of our ED to see improvements. In the meantime, masks and hand sanitiser are available in the current waiting room. If at any time you feel you are not receiving the care or treatment you need, we have a service at the hospital called Aishwarya’s CARE Call. You may notice posters about Aishwarya’s CARE Call in the hospital’s Emergency Department and in the Mental Health reception area. This is a 3-step process for patients, carers and family members to use if they are worried about the treatment provided by us.

In the Midwest, no matter what WA Country Health Service hospital you go to, this number is 1800 316 729 or you can find out more here at: WA Country Health Service - Aishwarya’s CARE Call. Currently the Geraldton Hospital only has one waiting area, if at any time you have concerns about waiting with your children in this area, please raise them with staff and we will endeavour to make arrangements to ensure their wellbeing.

I hope your son is getting the care he needs and is feeling well.

Regards

Cameron Ross

Operations Manager Geraldton Hospital

WA Country Health Service - Midwest

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