A LILYDALE man who suffered a dislocated shoulder says his recovery was set back when Maroondah Hospital discharged him prematurely.
Brian Bartlett was taken to hospital on April 23 with a dislocated right shoulder after falling off a ladder.
After X-rays revealed no broken bones, Mr Bartlett's shoulder was put back in place and he was discharged from the emergency department later that night.
"I really shouldn't have been sent home that evening," Mr Bartlett said. "I'd already had one heart attack in 2001, and that's what the ambos were concerned about."
Mr Bartlett said that before he left the hospital, he was told the Maroondah outpatient clinic would contact him when an appointment was available.
"I was sent a letter on April 28 with an outpatient appointment for May 27 - 34 days after the incident," he said. "But I was in too much pain."
Mr Bartlett saw a private physiotherapist six times between April 27 and May 7. His physiotherapist suggested he needed immediate surgery and wrote a referral to the outpatient clinic.
After ringing the clinic, Mr Bartlett said he was told not to bother going through Maroondah Hospital because it would take too long and to go to Box Hill hospital.
On May 18, he went to the Box Hill emergency department and saw the head of the orthopaedic department. "He took one look at the X-rays and said, 'You need urgent surgery'."
On May 19, Mr Bartlett saw an orthopaedic surgeon and was admitted on June 11 to Epworth Private Hospital at Box Hill for surgery.
Since then, he has had a post-operative procedure and two bouts of hydrodilation.
Mr Bartlett said he did not blame Maroondah Hospital or its staff for sending him home without surgery, but believed the public health system had failed him due to a shortage of staff and resources.
"The hospital is doing the best it can with the finances it has got and unless the government pours more money into the health system, nothing's going to change.
"If I had stuck with Maroondah Hospital, I would have had permanent damage for the rest of my life.
"Once you wait months for treatment, it's too late, they can't fix it. I think the whole system's a shambles."
Maroondah Hospital chief of clinical and site operations Lisa Shaw-Stuart said Eastern Health prioritised appointments for outpatients based on urgency.
"If a patient's condition deteriorates or changes before accessing the service, it is recommended that they re-present to their GP so that more referral information can be provided to outpatients to reassess the urgency of the referral or to re-present to the emergency department."
In a separate case, a Ferny Creek resident, Wendy Cameron, contacted Kilsyth Liberal MP David Hodgett this month with concerns over the recent treatment of her mother.
Mr Hodgett said the 90-year-old was admitted to Maroondah Hospital on July 4 with swollen hands.
"Her condition was diagnosed as cellulitis, an inflammation of the skin caused by a bacteria, and she was discharged two days later," he said.
She was transported to her home at Dorset Lodge in Croydon. "Wendy was concerned and took her mother to Knox Private Hospital.
"But with no beds available she was sent to Ringwood Private Hospital, where she was admitted and blood tests and X-rays were taken," he said. "It was discovered she had pneumonia and blood poisoning."
Mr Hodgett has spoken of the incidents in state parliament. "It's not good enough - people deserve better," Mr Hodgett said. "The staff at Maroondah Hospital do a fantastic job under the circumstances, but issues such as these highlight the lack of support given to them."
In regard to the second case, Ms Shaw-Stuart said staff "endeavoured to provide the best care for our patients".
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