Esperance Emergency Department staff praised for compassion and care

Staff at Esperance Health Campus have been thanked for their kind and compassionate care.

Alex McCallum was playing a weekend footy match when a rough tackle gone wrong resulted in a trip to the emergency department.

“I sort of sat down on the bench and turned my head slightly and this really searing nerve pain shot down my right arm,” he said

“That’s when I knew that something was seriously wrong, I took of my guernsey, and my partner took me to the hospital.”

A scan revealing he’d fractured his C6-C7 in his lower neck.

“I had jogged off the ground, which I probably wouldn’t have done if I had known I had a fractured neck,” he said.

Concussed, confused and in a lot of pain, Alex thanked the team for their kindness.

“The nurses kept coming back in and checking in on me, they were very understanding,” he said.

“The doctors and nurses were all really great, they were very accommodating.”

He also thanked them for their patience and understanding.

“To be honest, I was pretty grumpy because I was in so much pain,” he said.

“I probably came across as a little impatient to see what was going on because I was really stressing about it.”

Alex was taken to Royal Perth Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service for further treatment, but he’s now back home on his recovery journey.

Esperance Health Campus Director of Nursing Carla Jones said she was proud of the feedback the team received and that it reflected the daily work the team did in caring for the community.

“We understand that when people come to the Emergency Department, they’re often scared and stressed,” she said.

“This is why providing safe, informative patient-centred care is at the heart of what we do every day.”

“Feedback like this is also an important reminder to our team of just how important what they do is to the community.”