“I don’t know where to turn and who to ask for help…”
This is a quote from the Seven News article about the awful experiences that Marianne Molloy had in a Perth hospital recently. Everyone at Health Consumers’ Council was horrified seeing these images and hearing about Ms Molloy’s and her family’s experiences.
While many people have very positive experiences in WA hospitals (as you can see by many of the stories on the Care Opinion website), unfortunately we know that things can go wrong in healthcare – despite all the guardrails that are in place to protect people.
We were asked to provide a comment for a TV news item – to help people understand what can families do if they feel like their concerns about loved ones in hospital are falling on deaf ears.
A very short snippet of what we said was able to be shown on the 6pm news this week (you can view what was broadcast at this link starting at roughly 3m15s into the piece) but here’s what else we said:
If you’re concerned about your loved one in hospital and you’re there in the hospital:
- know that you have a right to speak up, so do
- and if you don’t feel heard, ask to speak to a senior staff member
- And if you’re still not getting anywhere but your loved one is getting sicker, call Aishwarya’s Care Call – it’s number in each hospital that you can call to speak directly to a senior clinician.
In short, be polite, but don’t take no for an answer
But unfortunately, as this story shows, and as we know from supporting thousands of people with their concerns over the last 30 years, speaking up yourself doesn’t always work. In which case:
If that doesn’t work, or if you’re not there in the hospital, call Health Consumers’ Council on 08 9221 3422
The ‘phone is staffed during office hours – currently we’re not funded to be available around the clock but if you leave a message we will get back to you as soon as we can.
We will listen to your experience and provide advice on your rights. If you want, we can help you raise your concerns with the hospital in the moment – that can include us calling the hospital on your behalf or helping you plan what you’d like to say and how you’d like to say it.
After the event – we can help you provide feedback to the health service so improvements can be made in future
We know many people don’t like to complain, but it’s important to bring these issues to the attention of hospital managers, because they really do care. And all feedback to health services is recorded and reviewed – including complaints and compliments. Another way to provide feedback is by sharing your story anonymously on the Care Opinion website – this means others will see your story, as well as the response from the hospital.
You are your loved one’s best advocate. If you’re concerned, speak up. If you need back up, call Health Consumers’ Council
By Clare Mullen, Executive Director