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Added by Jopie, at 29 March 2016
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6 Reviews
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26 November 2016
I had an unpleasant experience when I had elective surgery at Westmead Hospital in late 2015. I didn't want general anaesthetic for various reasons. I'd been told that the anaesthetist would be willing to use regional anaesthetic, but when I went in for the operation, he had changed his mind and tried to insist that I have general anaesthetic (without explaining why), and didn't want to listen to my concerns.
Then he passed me onto another anaesthetist, Matt (Dr Matthew Doane), who lied to me. At first, Matt tried a spinal block, but it wasn't completely effective. He apologised. He said that perhaps we could wait for it to wear off then try again, but then said that would take hours and it would be too late in the day by then.
He then said that he could offer a 'part-general' anaesthetic. He said I wouldn't be paralysed (from drugs) and I'd be able to breathe on my own, and he said, "I can put you in a sleep-like state instead of being unconscious. You won't dream, but you'll be in a sleep-like state." I asked twice, "So I'll be sleeping instead of unconscious?" and he said "Yes" both times. He also said that I would wake up as soon as he stopped giving me drugs, while I was still in the operating theatre. There was an anaesthetic nurse present, but she didn't say anything. I agreed to the anaesthesia. However, I woke up in the recovery room 45 minutes after the operation, and I found out later that Matt had used ordinary general anaesthetic, and I had been unconscious.
When I had asked if the face mask was only for oxygen, he had said that he would only be giving drugs by IV. I thought he meant throughout the operation. But he used a gas, too.
He hadn't told me that I'd have a breathing tube (LMA) put down my throat during the operation, or have my eyes taped shut, or have another tube (Guedel) put in temporarily afterwards.
He had told the truth about not using paralysing drugs, and about me being able to breathe on my own during the operation (instead of a ventilator being used).
I had told him that I was worried about the risk of going under general anaesthetic and never waking up again. I assumed that there wouldn't be that risk with a part-general, being in a sleep-like state instead of being unconscious. I never agreed to take that risk.
I felt like I had been tricked into having general anaesthetic. I made complaints. The hospital told me that they had passed on my messages to Matt, but when I contacted him directly later on, he said that he had never received them. He and the hospital did apologise for my experience. He said that he hadn't intended to deceive me and he thought we had a mutual understanding of what the anaesthetic entailed.
A note Matt had written on my medical records gave the impression that I had agreed to general anaesthetic right from the start, but he said that he was just noting that I hadn't made an objection to it in the event of a life-threatening emergency. He hadn't actually discussed with me what would happen if there was an emergency, or whether I would still want the operation to go ahead if possible.
The hospital's response to my complaint claimed that when the spinal block proved ineffective Matt had discussed cancelling the operation to try regional anaesthetic again on another day - another spinal block or an epidural - or to not have the operation at all. That wasn't true. It suggested that I had then agreed to light general anaesthetic. It looks like Matt wasn't very honest when discussing the matter with them, and perhaps they exaggerated, too.
Matt wasn't entirely honest in his response to a complaint I made to the HCCC. He claimed that we had discussed cancelling the operation. He acknowledged that he used the term 'sleep-like state' but not that he said 'I can put you in a sleep-like state instead of being unconscious' etc.
He had a pleasant, friendly manner and was helpful in trying regional anaesthetic so it was disappointing that he wasn't more honest afterwards.
He has changed jobs, so he no longer works at Westmead Hospital.response / report this review -
03 October 2016
My name is Christina and I have a complaint to make.
My sister-in-law was recently taken into WestMead Hospital, and she then had the C-Section performed on her. After the surgery, she was not given any time to rest before the hospital nurses had already started ushering and telling her to get out of the hospital.
When my mother asked, the nurses only replied with 'she does not live anywhere in this area, we don't need to treat her'.
That, is absolutely disgusting.
She was forced out with absolutely no help whatsoever from the 4th floor to the very bottom.
When she was discharged no nurses helped, no doctors, no one. The baby didn't even receive a check up, receiving only a piece of paperwork instead. The thing is, we even told the nurses that my sister-in-law didn't have anyone home to take care of her, her husband (which was my brother) was in China and she was home alone taking care of a newborn and another 3 year old.
She received no sympathy, no care, and the hospital is responsible for that. I truly hope that patients who have decided on going to this hospital takes the reviews into consideration.
Disgusting service.response / report this review -
28 September 2016
Doctor's are very good, but it's the nursing staff that are so incompetent and rude and they are all not qualified at all, its like a 3rd world country. I recieved a call from a night shift head nurse stating to me, because my dear old dad has been a long term in & out patient, she is not willing to keep him alive by jumping on his chest to keep him alive!!! Exact word for word. .. they discharged my father after our head nurse told us that they finally found a drug to kill his infection.. and they need his bed for another patient. So they discharged my dad. They never provided an upgrade to us or our doctor etc for his Webster pack with these new infection pills. I came home from work today and found my poor dad in an incoherence state, the ambulance came and his infection sky rocketed temp to 40 degrees and extremely very ill and the ambulance staff told me he has a serious infection and needs to go back to the westmead hospital.. hell hole. Its like a prison for patients.. they only offer 2 600ml bottles of water per day for patients. . They no longer provide jugs of water to patients, because of cutting costs is what the nurse told me so now my dad is in the emergency ward again tonight, we will move him elsewhere for better care..
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17 July 2016
i gave birth at Westmead very recently and my team for the delivery were fantastic. They were kind and understanding and explained things to me, but when i got to the maternity ward after the first few hours i had a great midwife, but the next day i felt they were pushing me out so i left earlier then i planned. I think when mothers give birth its important for support from the midwives i don''t think its right to push mothers out, regardless if its the first baby or fifth. I think more needs to be done in this field and i think the hospital needs to do more for mothers and patients in general.
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26 June 2016
Review for all 'future mums'. Rooms for childbirth are clean and tidy.. Some have a bath and all have showers. Midwife are professional and discreet. Food after delivery tasty. Don't know about Maternity Ward as I went straight to home.
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05 April 2016
My mum was admitted for brain surgery due to cancer spreading to brain. We as a family found most of the nurses really helpful and they tried to answer or get answered any questions we had about mum. The only issue we had was the communication between us and the doctors. We waited for 3 weeks for mums surgery without any explanations until after she had the operation. It turned out they were waiting for a specialist. That's all they should had told us but choose to say nothing. The cancer center staff were fantastic with mum. The nurse's are more personable and caring. In a whole westmead treated my mum and family fantastically
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