Phone Contact with Eastern Health Breast and Cancer Centre

Quote_Queen_67

Just wondering if anyone else has had difficulty contacting the Eastern Health Breast and Cancer Centre by phone?  Maybe it's just me but every time I call I get transferred to an answer machine, either for appointments OR to speak to a Breast Care Nurse and am told someone will call back.  And they usually do, however, I cannot always get to their call, maybe I miss it due to driving or some other reason, so it flicks to a voicemail that asks me to ring the same number again - the number that transfers me to the answer machine!  Forgive me for sounding frustrated but I am usually needing to speak to a person when I call - I don't want to leave a message to be called back. It's usually taken me all my energy to sit down with my diary or my question, I may even be distressed and needing some reassurance about something from the Breast Care Nurse and so an answer machine just does not cut it!  I am not complaining about the staff on the desk, or any of the staff that operate out of this clinic - to be honest, I have never met more caring and helpful hospital staff - it's about the system.  I really want to give my feedback but I want it to go to the correct person and I am thinking this would be an administrator?  Who organises how the phones are answered?  It can't be a case of understaffing - there are usually three or four receptionists on the desk!  I also found out that even the Day Oncology nurses cannot phone an internal number to this clinic and have to resort to walking round there to speak to someone.  This I find unacceptable.  It is a beautiful clinic and the staff are lovely but the system of dealing with patients on the phone falls down dreadfully.  Before I give my feedback, I would like to know if there are any other breast cancer patients who have faced a similar experience.

Nefertari

@Quote_Queen_67, I hear your frustration and unfortunately I have experienced it first hand but at a different hospital. 

Is this in Victoria? I had a look on line and there is a brand new one that only opened in February? Perhaps that is the problem, open first without having enough staff in place to answer calls directly.   I hope you get it sorted out, it's terrible to be left hanging when you need someone to talk to.  I would not have survived if it wasn't for this forum.

Quote_Queen_67

Thank you Nefertari.  Yes, this is the brand new clinic attached to Maroondah Hospital - a very much needed facility here in Victoria.  I have only my own experience to go by so far and I would like to hear of others experiences.