On what I thought was a not so special Thursday, my housemate comes home and tells me he is feeling…read morea bit off. I offer him some tea and tuck him into bed, assuming that it will all get better. I tell him to let me know if he needs anything, anything at all... Two hours later and there is a shallow knock on my bedroom door. My housemate is there nearly toppled over in pain and he shyly asks if I can drive him to the hospital. Of course I spring into action and me and my other housemate usher him straight into the car, blast some Florence and the Machine to make him feel better and take his mind of the pain, and drive to the Wesley Emergency. I had never been to the Wesley before but luckily the good signage on Corronation Drive made the Emergency really easy to find. I dropped my housemate off (with my other housemate to take him in) at the front of the Emergency doors and then went to find a park. There was ample parking out on the street and in the parking lot for me to park and then come in. Luckily my housemate is covered under private health insurance because the Wesley is a private hospital and just happened to be the closest one to our house as well. Once in, the emergency waiting room was not very busy at all and he was seen to straight away. The lovely receptionist got all his details down quickly and he was whisked away into the safe hands of the doctors. When worried sick about my housemate, the Wesley Hospital calmed us down, were extremely friendly and professional and made the not so great experience of having to take a loved one to the hospital just that much easier to cope with.

Nothing like making a 2am dash to the emergency room when you realise you've got a kidney…read moreinfection! The Wesley Emergency staff are very thorough, and calming enough to scrounge the important details from you (medicare, credit card, health fund) while you panic about whether or not you're going to die. My doctor Heather Ellison was wonderful: super nice and with a great sense of humour. When she picked up my pink urine sample, she shook the canister around a little and smirked before sighing, "I'd recognise that rosy pink anywhere." If I weren't so drugged up on painkillers and antibiotics I would have hugged her. I slept over the night. It was a little cold with the air conditioning on full blast, but I was brought extra blankets by the nurses. It was hard for my brother staying the night and sleeping across two chairs beside my bed, but he had the peace of mind that his kid sister was being taken care of.

Me and I partner are both doctors. We turned up at 8:30pm on a Sunday night with our one year old…read morebaby in tow, as my partner had severe unbearable pain due to a dental infection despite antibiotics and maximum analgesia at home. There was only one doctor on duty, and he was busy with a troublesome patient. The assessment nurse was dismissive of her condition, saying "you just need a dentist". We thought she might need IV antibiotics in the short term, hence the reason for our visit (once again, we are both doctors). We left after waiting to be seen by the doctor for two hours, as our baby was getting hysterical. We think it's pretty pathetic that there was only one doctor on at that time of the night on a weekend, in a very large private hospital. My partner was made to wait for the doctor in another room, leaving me alone with our baby in the reception area. Despite me clearly struggling with an increasingly difficult to handle baby who was getting very upset, the two receptionist staff did absolutely nothing to help me. They were too busy watching TV and pretending to be busy when they were clearly not, and didn't even bother to ask if I needed anything. We will be going to the Wesley hospital private emergency next time, as it is light years ahead in terms of the number of doctors on duty and helpful reception staff..

This is a complaint about the night shift team of the emergency department at Mater Private…read moreHospital on the night between 17 and 18 October - Dr Sean Kennedy and his team. We arrived with an ambulance at around 9:30 pm. I was in a severe unbearable pain after a surgery on the ankle the previous evening. First we were waiting for at least 10 minutes for someone to open the door. After the door was opened, no one even came to ask what is the problem or to check the pain or my leg. There were only 3 patients at that time and it was obviously not a busy evening. With the help of the staff from the ambulance I was moved on a bad and I was waiting for 3 hours until someone came to talk to me. I was screaming and crying due to the pain and at around 12 pm the doctor came to check on me. Two hours before that there were no patients in the emergency anymore. The attitude was unprofessional and negligent. After waiting for 3 hours I was given an injection without even explaining what it is, for how long it will help. I have never experienced such an attitude. I hope the feedback will be provided and measures will be taken.

The doctor was abrasive, judgmental, condescending, and rude. I had an adverse reaction to…read moremedication administered by another medical professional. Not only did they make me re-tell the story (to him three times, plus other people) in between continuous vomiting and being close to a coma (which took all my effort to keep explaining). The doctor refused to believe me, saying it was impossible to have a reaction 3.5 hours after, rather than straight away. He kept asking, "What have you taken, what have you taken?" (The implication being that surely I had taken some sort of illicit substance). I knew the general family of what had been administered to me, but not the thing itself. All requests to confirm the specific name of the medication with the Dr. who administered it were denied. The Dr then tried to give me Valium. I asked what the medical reason was; since I couldn't imagine why they'd want to further depress a system that had was still having major issues. He told me that it was not going to help the reaction. So what; I was here just to get drugs; or did he want me to stop talking? I declined. The friend who brought me in the ambulance was a professional in sloppy house clothes, but I was dressed professionally. I asked for a second opinion, and the doctor said, "I am the second opinion." I have never been treated so judgmentally in my life. Thankfully after testing my blood they must have concluded that I was in fact telling the truth. The Dr. who handled the case from there was pleasant, but I hope that I never have to return to this place. I felt like a criminal being cross examined, not to mention the fear and anxiety I felt by unknown dangers that lay in someone not acknowledging the source of my issues. I would pay money not to go there. It was a traumatic experience. If you do have to go there, be sure you and anyone accompanying you makes time in your Medical Emergency to get dressed up to the nines; perhaps you'll be treated better than I was.

Doctors. They're not as sexy as a great cocktail or decadent restaurant indulgence, but as sure as…read moredeath and taxes, chances are you'll need to call upon the services of a GP at some point. And when that point comes you want them to be great. I feel pretty confident I've found that in the team at Market Street Medical. I mean, when was the last time your doctor called you to say your doctor was running late to save you sitting in the waiting room for 30-40mins? Sure, it throws your day out but at least you can do something else in those 30-40mins rather than sit captive reading Country Style or House & Garden. I waited several months to see Dr Maintsone (she's that much of a rockstar she has a hefty waiting list) after recommendation from a friend who, with similar plights to my own, sung her praises. After the first visit with Dr Mainstone I understood why. She's considerate, understanding and sees issues as pieces of a greater puzzle. I feel she's genuinely interested in the health of her patients and I appreciate her commitment to looking at the bigger picture rather than always reaching for a quick fix. It is because of Dr Mainstone I was able, towards the end of 2013, gain some closure and context around a few medical issues and finally not feel like I was the crazy one for talking of such symptoms. They are more expensive than other GPs I've visited and I personally am okay with this for the level of treatment and attention I receive. They process your Medicare claim online in the practice and you'll be amazed how fast that money is back in your piggy bank.

I have to agree with Lani, Market Street Medical is fantastic. I've been seeing Dr Mainstone and…read morecan't speak highly enough of her. It's such a nice change to be treated with respect and care.