Dear Ms Giddings,
In response to your letter I simply feel sad. Sad you believe you have all the bases covered re patient and patient family accommodation. Sad patients and patients’ family members are left to their own devices to aquire accommodation in the middle of the night. Sad I still get calls from patients and patient family members for accommodation. Don’t you think in this a re-election year and after all this time it is time for you and I to talk?
Of the 197,000 + beds used at Argyle Guest House over 12 1/2 years probably 40% were from out of office hours. PTAS co-ordinators and Fight cancer house both only take booking during office hours. What does this tell you? It tells you people sleep in cars…on sofas in hospital waiting rooms….until someone starts work at 8 30am…..but….what if someone needs a bed on friday night? Yes PTAS co-ordinators are on call but if they can only get people into the larger 24 hr manned hotels which are more expensive to cover the extra staff?… If all the bases are covered why do I still get calls almost 2 1/2 years after Argyle Guest house closed?
I was recently invited by Eric Wright the MD to view fight cancer house….to say I was dismayed at the accommodation is an understatement. Eric told me he had origainally met with you and discussed building a hospital annexure accommodation which would be purpose built for patients and patients’ family members which I support 100% as it is the ONLY solution.
The accommodation at fight cancer house is sub-standard and a blight against the tasmanian govt. as a result. There is no ensuite accommodation…the bathrooms are communal with only shower curtains for privacy and a woman or young female would need to walk past 3 showers to gain access to the female toilet which I find disturbing to say the least. The basement lounge room is full of mould spores and smells dreadful. There is no parking.The worst of it is patients who are in Hobart for bone marrow grafting cannot stay at fight cancer house as they require ensuite accommodation because of the high risk of infection although Eric as MD of bone marrow of Aust could not source where these patients are staying.
I feel Eric has done a good job with what was presented to him with the fight cancer house however I believe this should be a short term solution to this accommodation problem.
Please appreciate I am not whining, wingeing or complaining. I am not a patient. I don’t need at bed at 3am because someone close to me is in ICU.
Increasing PTAS allowances was a godsend however when I was running AGHouse I would bill PTAS direct as they do in fight cancer house however I feel it a tad poor they are stuck with rent of ? 68k+ and yet Ronald mcDonald is given a state govt owned property @ $1 pa and has the gall to ask people to pay up front ($98/night) and if they don’t want to go through PTAS will give them a reduced rate….this is disturbing isn’t it? Or am I missing something?
Please do better. Please. These are decent human beings and they deserve much better treatment from you.
Of course the upshot of my trying to aquire the units on Sandy Bay Rd brought about a few full nights at fight cancer house as before this people didnt know of their existence.
Here’s a scenario (which is not so uncommon)…The Mid City Motel does a hospital rate of $99/night which means if a patient and their partner stay they have minimal out of pocket expenses after paying in full and seeking re-imbersement(PTAS re-imbursement 46+46 =$92)….but…..patient goes to RHH for say cardio-thoracic surgery so 1 x night accommodation then still the same rate but only escort covered for 6 x nights so out of pocket $53/night x 6($318) then perhaps patient has stroke and escort stays at mid city for another 6 WEEKS!!!!!! This means escort is now out of pocket $4851.00…..that is the escort pays $4851.00 and is hopeful of being re-imbursed $2300. The escort still needs to pay upfront $99/night x 7 weeks($4851.00). So some time after 7 weeks and the paperwork is dotted and crossed and gone from one PTAS co-ordinator to another the poor escort will still be out of pocket after re-imbursement of$2551.00. This escort is a 75 year old pensioner…what happens now??????????
At AGHouse I dealt with people like this every day. Each and every day. THE BASES ARE NOT COVERED.
AGHouse was a temporary solution. There was no ensuites. There were private lockable bathroom facilities. There was no parking but 2 x large parking facilities adjacent. There was 24 hr service available. I would run keys to any ward at any time. Mentally compromised carers were escorted 24/7 to patients. I dealt with any accommodation crisis not just RHH related…..such as police radio room and victims of crime. I dealt with every charity. I dealt with every hospital. There was only ONE of me. I sometimes was so tired I could barely speak. I did not get $70,000 from any govt to help my expenses. I was given 1 x week’s notice to vacate when developers purchased part of the building to demolish so as to extend Argyle St Carpark facilities.
A pity you would not return my calls 2 1/2 years ago however I do thankyou for responding now although I believe you to be misguided in your information.
How much time do you need to resolve this ongoing nightmare?
Please feel free to contact me for an unbiased viewpoint at any time as I believe I am experienced in this matter.
Sincerely,
Ruth Howie
Hobart. 7001
The background:
The Letter from Lara Giddings: 4323_001.pdf
Earlier on Tasmanian Times: Ruth Howie’s desperate plea for help
