A Kooweerup woman says she was left stranded in the freezing cold for hours after being forcibly removed from Casey Hospital’s emergency department, despite being in severe pain and unable to walk.
Jennifer White, who suffers from chronic pain and requires a hip replacement, said she was taken to the hospital by ambulance on Friday, 18 August, after collapsing in the town’s main street.
“I just sat down to make a phone call and my hip went,” White said. “I couldn’t get up again, so I rang an ambulance. They gave me morphine and took me straight to a bed.”
But after undergoing examinations, doctors determined no further scans were necessary and discharged her with instructions to rest and follow up with her GP and specialist.
What happened next, Ms White said, left her traumatised.
Unable to arrange a way home at 1am, she asked staff for a taxi voucher – something she said had been granted on previous visits. This time, she was refused.
“I told them I had no one to call and couldn’t walk,” White said. “The next thing, six security guards came in. One was right up in my face saying, ‘Get out, let’s move.’ I was in total shock.”
Ms White said she was forced outside in only a thin coat and waited six hours in the cold before finally calling a neighbour at dawn to collect her.
“My hands were purple. My face was purple. I huddled against a post to try and block out the cold,” she recalled.
“I’ve suffered in the last two days more than anything in my life. This has hurt me deeply inside.”
The incident has shaken her trust in the hospital.
“No matter what happens, I’ll never go back to Casey Hospital,” White said. “They need more compassion and understanding for people who genuinely need help and are in financial hardship.”
Other patients have since come forward with similar accounts.
Kate, another patient, said: “This happened to me once. I was getting treated and suddenly they escorted me out, no explanation. I swear it was mistaken identity, but I was still treated like rubbish.”
Stan recalled waiting eight hours in the emergency department with his partner, who had a broken leg, before being told to leave.
“If you have private (insurance), you should be okay. If not, good luck,” Stan said.
Monash Health spokesperson said their hospital “is deeply concerned about the difficulty the patient experienced getting home from Casey Hospital and we apologise for the distress it has caused“.
“A review is underway to understand what occurred to ensure we are continuously improving our patient care and support. We have spoken with the patient to apologise and better understand their experience.“
