‘I have lost faith’: Mandurah mother to move closer to Perth hospital

Mandii Tennick spoke to the Mandurah Mail after the incident in January 2018, which she said left her with heart damage. 

The mother-of-four said the hospital would not tell her the staff member’s name who refused to perform a electrocardiography test (ECG) when she presented with neck, back and jaw pain, and whether or not they were disciplined. 

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Ms Tennick said she traveled to Fiona Stanley Hospital by train after leaving Peel, and was told by a doctor she was “having a massive heart attack”. 

Ms Tennick said she was only 42 at the time, but “heart attacks don’t discriminate”. 

“Has there been any repercussions at their end?” she said. 

“I want an explanation to be able to be comfortable to go to my hospital.

“It was such a basic protocol (they) didn’t follow.

“I am thinking the person has made a huge mistake and walked away.”

Ms Tennick said she is selling her house to move closer to Fiona Stanley Hospital after becoming anxious with healthcare at Peel. 

“I have lost faith and I’m anxious now,” she said. 

“I live in Mandurah, which has a population of 80,000 to 90,000 people.

“If something happens to me I just don’t feel like I am going to get the care and attention I need in that window where they can save your life.”

Ms Tennick has since undergone bypass surgery at Mount Hospital.

She said she had been back to Peel a handful of times after the incident, as it was the closest hospital to her Halls Head home in an emergency.

“If I request to go to Fiona Stanley the ambulance needs clearance to go,” she said. 

“If they’re busy on that day they can’t take you, so you don’t get a choice.”

A Peel Health Campus spokeswoman said the hospital has taken several actions after Ms Tennick’s incident. 

“Peel Health Campus undertook a comprehensive investigation into the care of this patient soon after she was hospitalised in January 2018,” she said. 

“The investigation report and outcomes were communicated to the patient in March 2018.

“The investigation led to a number of actions, including a greater presence of senior staff in the emergency department at night, increased rigour around training and education requirements for after-hours staff and improvements to ‘discharge against medical advice’ processes.”