Parents slam lack of services, facilities at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital

UPDATE: Health Minister Lawrence Springborg insists troubled Lady Cilento Hospital has adequate facilities, despite admitting he has not been there since it opened. COMMENTS 240+

‘I’ve not visited, but hospital is adequate’

UPDATE: HEALTH Minister Lawrence Springborg this morning insisted the troubled Lady Cilento Hospital had adequate facilities, despite admitting he has not been there since it opened last month.

Parents of some of Queensland’s sickest kids have complained the hospital was rushed to be opened before proper food and transport facilities were ready, while there was not enough entertainment for the children.

Some reports suggested up to 24 patients were sharing the one bar fridge.

Contrary to reports from parents of children currently being treated in the hospital, Mr Springborg told ABC radio this morning that there were televisions in every room, as well as fridges, microwaves and sandwich makers.

But he said he had not actually inspected the facility since it opened on November 29.

“No I haven’t visited since it opened, but I’ve received extremely positive feedback,” he said.

“All the places I went too (before it opened), and it was a large place, we saw rooms where there were pullout beds for parents to stay, we’ve got individual entertainment systems as well.”

Mr Springborg agreed there were “teething problems” at the new hospital.

EARLIER: Parents of some of the state’s sickest kids have lashed out at health authorities for opening the $1.5bn Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital too early, saying basic services such as food and transport facilities are not yet ready for patients.

Parents say basic food supplies such as bread and milk have not been provided to patients at the hospital, some have not been able to access adequate kitchen facilities and microwaves to prepare food for their kids, and the lack of a hospital cafeteria and food on-site leaves them nowhere to get meals and unwind.

Parents have been venting about the lack of facilities on social media, with one parent saying when they went to find food: “No vending machines were on, no cafe, no nothing. I was disgusted.’’

OPEN: Parents warned of hospital closures as Lady Cilento opens

Concerns have also been raised about a lack of wheelchair-friendly transport and delays in surgery times at the hospital, which formally opened its doors on November 29.

The hospital has acknowledged there are some legitimate concerns about delays with some facilities, but says they are “teething problems’’ which are a reality for any new hospital.

Staff have been issued with a directive to stop whingeing about the teething problems “in lifts, busy public areas or with families”.

“It is true that our retail precinct is yet to open and we have apologised to families for this,’’ Children’s Health Queensland chief executive Dr Peter Steer told The Courier-Mail.

“Families do however have access to a coffee cart and vending machines and a map detailing more than 10 retail food outlets in the immediate hospital precinct. After-hours food access is actually much improved in this precinct compared to the former Royal Children’s Hospital.’’

The fanfared 359-bed facility was a merger of staff and patients from the Mater and Royal Children’s Hospitals.

Charters Towers mother Annelise Hill said the new hospital facilities were inadequate for her son Daniel, 5, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumour diagnosed in February.

“When he is bedridden there is no television or entertainment for him in the room, there is a playroom but some of these kids are too sick to go there,’’ she said.

“Also I have had to leave the hospital and go and buy fish and chips or something like that for dinner.

“When a parent has to wait for hours on end while children go through gruelling treatment, sometimes they need a break and need to go to a cafeteria to de-stress for five minutes.’’

The hospital’s cafeteria is not yet open, despite the hospital opening its doors last month.

Comments on Facebook about the facilities have also been damning.

“My son has spent his whole life in and out of the Royal Children’s Hospital for long periods of time ... I am utterly disappointed in the QLD Health and they should admit that they were not ready for this ... no vending machines were on, no cafe, no nothing. I was disgusted,” one person wrote.

Another said: “Not enough fridges and freezers some floros don’t have microwave to heat up. Some parents have nothing to eat all day because they can’t go far from their child. It bloody stinks. My girl had nothing to eat all day yesterday. Nothing supplied, not even bread and butter.”

Justine Christerson, a support worker for rural families staying at emergency accommodation in Brisbane, has written to Health Minister Lawrence Springborg outlining her concerns and established a petition urging Queensland Health to provide free and reliable transport with wheelchair access between cancer care centres and the hospital.

A Childhood Cancer Support spokeswoman said they were forced to provide their own oncology shuttle bus with wheelchair access.

Sara Clayton, from Hervey Bay, said there were inadequate shuttle bus facilities to transport her wheelchair-bound daughter Rebekah, 15, from Ronald McDonald House in Herston to the hospital.

“It was all about the hype of the opening but it’s not working out very well and many families are very upset,’’ she said.

“We didn’t ask for the relocation yet I am left with the problem of getting her to the hospital as the mini bus has no wheelchair access and Rebekah is in a wheelchair. I was told I could get taxi vouchers but have had nothing but trouble over them.’’

Sara Clayton with her Daughter Rebekah who has many complex health care issues. Pic Mark Calleja

The hospital confirmed the shuttle bus does not have wheelchair access, but says no family has been refused a taxi voucher or been left waiting for transport.

“We have issued 16 taxi vouchers, 19 car park vouchers and 22 Go Cards to families requiring transport in addition to our regular shuttle bus service,’’ Dr Steer said.

“The only wheelchair transport issue to date occurred when a family requiring wheelchair access did travel on our shuttle bus after receiving assistance to board. Our accommodation provider has been reminded to provide taxi vouchers to families with this requirement.”

Dr Steer said there were more than a dozen family rooms or family kitchens in inpatient wards across the hospital with kitchen facilities, including microwaves.

He also denied suggestions that surgeries were being delayed, saying 193 surgeries had been performed to-date and less than 10 booked surgeries postponed.

“Some of these surgeries have taken longer than they might previously have as staff become intimately familiar with their new environment,’’ he said.