Wednesday, 2 January

Sadly a couple of weeks before Xmas a friend of mine was badly injured and ended up in hospital requiring an operation. Then early this morning complications from the operation forced her to be rushed back to hospital. I went to visit her today.

I was very impressed with the new parking facilities and even managed to get a park near the entrance. The new area of Auckland Hospital is very grand and reminded me of a hotel in many ways – however this all paled into insignificance and my impressed mood quickly became one of utter despair when yet again I asked for directions from several people and they were all too busy, too frustrated, too impatient and too MEAN to help me in a pleasant or slightly helpful way.

What angers me most of all about this is that when people go to visit someone in hospital they are not usually happy about doing that (unless it’s to visit someone who just had a baby and Mother and child are both doing well). So surely staff must realise visitors may be a little upset or stressed or both and of course will need a bit of extra care.  And I always thought that people who want to work at a hospital must want to be there to HELP and CARE for people. I guess after a while of being busy and stressed those ideals quickly fade away.  BUT aren’t they public servants – just like me! They are paid to serve the public, by tax payers just like me.

The signage at that hospital always leads me to a wrong place and I don’t understand it – coz I’m quite good at reading a map and following directions. So after wasting time trying to find my own way I always end up asking for directions and that’s when the trouble starts.  Firstly staff are too busy to look up and notice someone is patiently waiting for help, then if you do make a noise to attract their attention you get glared at. Next they fob you off onto someone else who may know what you’re looking for and they don’t, but they check most begrudgingly and eventually lead you on some mystery trail. You ask for more help and so it goes on and on.

After I had visited my friend on the way back to my car I noticed the hospital core values were in big bold lettering on the wall of the front entrance – that’s kind of ironic isn’t it?