Janet Mays

An Open Letter to:

The Hon. Philip Koperberg
Member for Blue Mountains
Shop 3, 107-109 Macquarie Road
SPRINGWOOD NSW 277
The Hon. Reba Meagher
NSW Minister for Health
Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000

Dear Mr Koperberg and Ms Meagher

Re: Hospital Care in the Blue Mountains

I am writing to you publicly because the issue I write about concerns every Blue Mountains resident and I think it is time for us to have some public dialogue on this matter.

My Story

Recently, I became ill and went to the Emergency department at the Blue Mountains District Hospital, where I was diagnosed with suspected appendicitis. The hospital staff did all they could for me, but eventually advised me that I needed to be transferred to Nepean District Hospital where a further assessment of my condition and possible surgery would take place. The reason I needed to be transferred to Nepean District Hospital was because the Blue Mountains District Hospital no longer conducts routine surgery such as an appendectomy.

Having been transferred to Nepean District Hospital by ambulance, I waited six hours before a CT scan was ordered. The scan confirmed that my appendix required removal. At this time, I was formally admitted into the hospital where I awaited emergency surgery.

Before I move on, I think it is important to describe the state of the Nepean District Hospital Accident and Emergency ward, which I observed and experienced during my waiting time. The ward was extremely busy, chaotic and understaffed. Despite the best endeavours of some, care was second rate and communication regarding my condition was minimal.

It is also interesting to note that even though I was transferred via ambulance to the Nepean District Hospital from the Blue Mountains District Hospital, I had to wait for care as if I had walked in without any previous health check or diagnosis.

After being admitted to a ward, I was finally operated on the following day, some twenty seven (27) hours after my ordeal began in Katoomba.
My operation was then followed by post operative care that could at best be described as inadequate, and at worst, as bordering on negligent. The situation was best summed up by a senior nurse who said to me “never get sick on a weekend as we are generally short staffed on weekends”. I was admitted on a Friday night.

During my time at Nepean District Hospital I was:

• Sent to the operating theatre and subsequently returned to the ward as a more critical situation had arisen. I was finally operated on 13 hours later.

• Not given sufficient pain relief the first night following my operation due to understaffing of the ward.

• Not advised of, or checked for possible lung congestion problems (a common complaint following laparoscopic surgery) until the problem manifested itself.

• Not given a post operative blood test even though my blood sample taken at Blue Mountains District Hospital confirmed an infection. This situation was only remedied when a nurse finally had the foresight to organise a blood test, some 20 hours post operation. At this time, an ongoing infection was confirmed.

• Subjected to a doctor who took four attempts to place a cannula in my arm. He did not ask the nurses for help and none was offered to him, even though it was apparent he could not do the job.

• Sent for a lung scan at 9.30pm and returned to the ward mid-procedure because one doctor had failed to order the correct blood tests. The cannula placed by the previous doctor did not meet the requirement and had to be replaced.

• Left feeling extremely vulnerable as my condition, which was fast deteriorating, was not fully explained to me.

In summary, my care was dreadful, communication with me about my condition was poor and the environment in which I was placed was chaotic.

My situation was not unique. Other patients in my ward were only too willing to share their stories and concluded their comments with statements like “I hope I get out of here alive”.

The nurses too spoke of their frustration with “the system”, variously describing it as “broken”, “decaying” and “getting worse by the day”. Several of these nurses were 20 year career nurses who have watched the public healthcare system steadily decline.

My ordeal at Nepean Public Hospital only ended after four days, at which time I transferred to the Nepean Private Hospital.

Hospital Options for Mountains Residents?

Mr Koperberg and Ms Meagher, Nepean District Hospital is the hospital that Mountains residents are routinely sent to. It is a large, feeder hospital that clearly cannot cope with the dramatic increase in population and demand. Care and cleanliness standards are questionable, staff morale is low and resources are woefully inadequate. For example, the ward on which I was placed had only one fully operational mobile blood pressure machine.
Nepean District Hospital is clearly not a viable alternative for Blue Mountains residents.

I write to you because I want to know what hospital options the NSW State Government proposes for Blue Mountains residents. I again note that services at Springwood Hospital are under threat, with residents being forced to rally to protect a basic community service.

There are over 78,000 Blue Mountains residents and it is not acceptable that:

• We are not afforded broad based, quality hospital care in our own geographic area.

• Aged patients are required to travel long distances for medical treatment.

• Current hospital service levels are being quietly stripped away without appropriate community consultation or explanation.

Answers Required

Blue Mountains residents deserve answers to the following questions:

• How does the NSW State Government intend to cater for the present and future hospital needs of Blue Mountains residents?

• What is the rationale for, and scope of the review currently being carried out by the Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS) on Springwood and the Blue Mountains District Hospitals?

• Given the state of the Nepean District Hospital and its distance from the Mountains, what services will be reintroduced into existing Mountains Hospitals to ensure that the healthcare needs of residents are being fully met?

• Why is the Blue Mountains included in the Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS), when we are a regional community that does not form part of metropolitan Sydney? SWAHS incorporates 9 local Government areas, services over 1.1M people and covers almost 9,000 square kilometres. This service is clearly stretched to capacity and does not adequately service the needs of Blue Mountains residents.

In Conclusion

Hospitals are a cornerstone of our society providing care for the sick and injured. They are a basic service and we should not have to worry about or fight for their existence.

We should also not have to travel long distances for hospital care which adds a further economic and social cost to Mountains residents.

I am sure I am not alone in my experience of Nepean District Hospital or in my concern for the precarious state of hospital care in the Blue Mountains. Accordingly, it is time for answers.

Mr Koperberg and Ms Meagher, Blue Mountains residents deserve your response to my questions. Given the critical nature of this issue, I also ask that you organise and attend a public meeting with Blue Mountains residents to explain the NSW State Government’s position on our healthcare needs.

Yours sincerely,

Janet Mays
Leura, NSW

Letter published in the Blue Mountains Gazette 1 August 2007