HUNTER NEW ENGLAND LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT
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MANNING Hospital acting general manager Jodi Nieass provided the following response:
“We do not have a record of this patient presenting to Manning Hospital so we are unable to respond to this specific case,” Mrs Nieass said.
“However, patients are not turned away from Manning Hospital.
“Any patient who presents to our emergency department will be triaged, assessed, treated and admitted or discharged as is clinically required. If a patient requires urgent services that are not available at out hospital we will arrange transfer to ensure they receive the care they need.”
CENTRAL COAST LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT
A spokesperson for the CCLHD provided the following response:
“Central Coast Local Health District takes all complaints seriously and would welcome the opportunity to speak with Mr Abberton regarding concerns related to his care.
The District can confirm that Mr Abberton presented to Gosford Hospital on 4 April 2012 where the presence of a recurrent complication arising from the recent implantation of a defibrillator was identified.
As the District does not provide cardiothoracic services the medical officer consulted with cardiothoracic doctors at Royal North Shore Hospital where the defibrillator implantation had taken place.
Mr Abbertons’s health state at the time of his presentation to Gosford Hospital did not warrant emergency admission. It was preferable that, after overnight fasting, Mr Abberton’s follow up care be provided by the doctors who had performed the earlier procedures.
Following consultation and clinical assessment, arrangements were made for Mr Abberton to attend Royal North Shore Hospital the following morning for admission by the cardiothoracic service.”
FOOTNOTE:
Mrs Whyte strongly rejects the CCLHD statement in relation the care provided to her father, Brian Abberton at Gosford Hospital.
“They didn’t make any arrangements for us to attend Royal North Shore,” Cathy said.
“We were told the best option for dad was for him to fast overnight and then turn up at Royal North Shore the next day. It was suggested he fast and try to get there early, between 7am and 8am.
“But we had no appointment, there were no arrangements and it was us who decided that we should go there the next day. If they (Gosford Hospital) had made arrangements, they (Royal North Shore Hospital) would have been expecting dad to present. They weren’t expecting us when we turned up and we had to explain everything again.
“I’m so upset with Gosford Hospital and their response. The whole situation is appalling, if I had not been with dad he would have been unable to get to Royal North Shore Hospital. What if something had happened to him while he was with me when we were travelling?
“He had a raging temperature and was in extreme pain and they sent him away. He was disorientated. His local GP was aghast when we told him what had happened and that he was sent away without being cared for, he was ropeable.”