Commenting on the story: Patients turned away from urgent care clinic

I would like to share my 87-year-old mother’s experience.

On Thursday 29th December she had a fall in the bathroom at our home at 3pm. We applied first aid. Mum had a big lump on the back of her head, otherwise no obvious issues. Rang Health Direct, where a nurse assessed mum over the phone.

As mum could not remember before or after the fall, the nurse advised us to go to Port Road Urgent Care Clinic, our nearest.

Upon arrival at 4pm we were turned away, as the clinic and imaging were closing at 6pm and they would not be able to see mum before that.

We go to the emergency department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, our closest hospital. We arrived at 4:30pm and mum was not discharged until 9pm.

The service provided by Health Direct was excellent. The medical service provided to mum at QEH was also excellent (CT scan, ECG, neurological and physical examination) though there were long periods of waiting. As mum has Alzheimer’s she found the four and a half hours stressful.

I disagree with the Minister’s statement that the clinics were achieving their goal.

I would like to complain that Port Road Urgent Care Clinic closing at 6pm did not achieve a positive result for Mum or reduce demand on the ED at the QEH.

Urgent Care Clinics are an excellent idea but really need to stay open till 9pm or even midnight. Open early, close late and be adequately staffed. – Barbara Hay

This is happening everywhere. There is a UCC inside my doctor’s practice in Rockingham, which frequently has a sign stating no more walk-ins to urgent care. – Cristi Jonas

Commenting on the story: Winemakers could save the world, one goon bag at a time

I will only reluctantly buy wine in Chateau Cardboard after Penfolds market a whole vintage of their Grange in it.

One question, please. Why can’t whole, undamaged bottles be recycled as they are, rather than melting them down and producing new ones?

I am more than happy to take my empty bottles to a recycling depot rather than being lazy and putting them in the yellow bin. It may be labour intensive compared to melting them down, but some jobs for more people, even pensioners looking for some extra money. – Andrew Satterley