Baldivis mother lodges complaint against Rockingham hospital

An 11-year-old was inadequately treated for a foot infection at Rockingham General Hospital, claims her Baldivis mother who has lodged a formal complaint.

A “simple” trip to RGH last month to obtain antibiotics via a drip for her daughter turned into a nightmare week for Melissa Henderer, who said the hospital repeatedly sent her home with ineffective oral antibiotics instead.

A spokeswoman from RGH said it had received and acknowledged the complaint from Ms Henderer.

“Following the WA Health’s Complaints Management Policy, an investigation is being undertaken and feedback will be provided direct to her on its completion,” she said.

Ms Henderer took her daughter to RGH on March 9 after her GP suggested IV antibiotics were necessary to treat the infected skin condition on the top of her daughter’s foot.

She claimed the hospital staff said her daughter was fine and should continue taking oral antibiotics and wait for the treatment to become effective.

In the next two days she returned to the hospital because the infection had worsened and the child was unable to walk.

Ms Henderer claims she returned to RGH at about 10pm on March 11 because the foot had turned green.

She said the doctors popped the lumps but still would not give her daughter an IV drip.

“They threw the oral antibiotics she had been taking in the bin and gave me a new script,” she said.

“They sent me home at 2.30am with just a piece of paper, no other treatment or pain relief.”

The next morning Ms Henderer said her child took the recommended dose of the new antibiotics and soon after began vomiting.

She went to her a Baldivis pharmacist who looked at the foot and advised the single mother-of-three to leave immediately and take the child to the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children.

“By 6pm we were admitted to PMH and after one look at the foot, they began preparing a drip,” Ms Henderer said.

Ms Henderer said it had been a traumatic experience for her daughter, who lost 5kg and missed two weeks of school.

“To send her home and say nothing is wrong and then for her to be admitted to PMH in the same day is crazy,” she said.

Ms Henderer said her previous experiences with RGH had been fine and she had no cause for complaint in the past.