A Queensland mother believes the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital has opened too soon and with a lack of transport and facilities for parents of patients.
The hospital opened on November 29 on Brisbane’s southside and has since been criticised by patients and their families for lengthy admittance times, and a lack of food and laundry facilities.
Rebecca Hursthouse from Gin Gin, west of Bundaberg, has been in Brisbane with her daughter Bella who was diagnosed on September 19 last year with stage four Neuroblastoma.
Her daughter was originally treated at Herston’s Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), but a recent relapse meant the family had to return to Brisbane to be treated at Lady Cilento at the beginning of December.
The family’s main worry is there is a lack of transport offerings between their accommodation at the original Royal Children’s Hospital and the new facility.
Ms Hursthouse told 612 ABC Brisbane’s David Curnow the facility was not up to scratch.
“After spending the first night there I thought ‘this hospital should have never opened’,” she said.
“When we came in there were no bins, none of the rooms were stocked yet, things were empty … it was definitely not ready to open up.
“I know they wanted to open it on the 29th [of November], but if they could have spent another two weeks getting everything into place it would have been better.
“It takes me half-an-hour on the bus to get to our accommodation in Leonard’s Lodge behind the RBH, it takes half-an-hour each way to go to her.”
‘If you want to eat you have to get food outside’
Ms Hursthouse said the lack of food facilities on site also means parents have to leave their children to buy meals.
“There is no cafeteria, there are no hot meals; there is a snack cart though,” she said.
“If you want to eat you have to leave your children and get food outside the hospital.”
Ms Hursthouse said facilities were better at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
“We were fully catered for at the Royal Children’s, if you were in with your child for treatment, you never had to leave that hospital,” she said.
“You had access to internet, full cooking facilities, toaster, bread, eggs and a microwave … you had everything.”
Springborg says facilities will continue to improve
But Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has hit back at the claims and said facilities were ready for patients and their families from the opening date last month.
“The rooms had been finished very well and there are certainly many common areas for families with convection ovens and a fridge,” he said.
“There is a fully functioning kitchen on level eight and there will always be issues when you are commissioning the largest children’s hospital in the country.
“The thing that comforts me is that there has been not one issue that has been raised about any child not getting high quality care.”
Mr Springborg said facilities will continue to improve.
“Parents now have pull out beds not just recliners as they did at RCH and the facilities for families is improving each day,” he said.
“We are getting positive feedback from parents as well, saying that the staff are brilliant and they are having good experiences.”
He said that services are provided for families to be transported to and from the hospitals.
“We are working with Ronald McDonald House which will mean it will become much better for parents with accommodation,” he said.
“We also have seven free services each day and taxi vouchers for parents travelling backwards and forwards between hospitals.”
Mr Springborg said he was happy for anyone, including the media, to tour the hospital.
“I have not visited since the hospital has opened but I was there just before it opened,” he said.
“I am more than happy for anyone to look at the hospital so people can make up their own mind and talk to people about their experience.”
We’ve had some teething problems: hospital CEO
Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital CEO Dr Peter Steer said clinically, the hospital was up to standard.
“Our children are safe, we have had no significant clinical incidents at all, [and that is] most important as that is our core business,” he said.
“We certainly have had some teething problems with respect to the after hours food and the stocking of pantries.
“The biggest issue is that we have 3,000 new staff that are getting used to the place and finding out where things are.”