Always very long wait. First go to Reception. They ask Medicare, whether you have been a patient before at Westmead Hospital (then you will have a MRN number so they can dig out your medical history). Waiting game starts. Then a nurse from Triage will call your name, write down the notes and then again wait outside. If blood test required, a nurse from triage will call again, takes the sample and wait again. A Doctor will finally call you in. If doctor is not specialist, again they would ask to wait outside until main doctor or specialist have a look at all notes and results. Overall, very long wait times even when you feel they aren’t that busy.

My partner got a finger cut and was admitted to this ED. Triage nurse was rough and ripped off the gauze which caused more bleeding. We had to wait inside for their staff to attend to us. Overnight staff were incompetent. They didn't know how to deal with a cut. My partner was left bleeding for 10 hours and wasted our time waiting there. They wouldn't discharge anyone once admitted. Sat there for 10 hours without any update on what to do or what's next. Nurses and doctors couldn't tell us. Waited until the morning for the morning shift staff. They came and put gauze and wrapped the wound. That was it. We were told to see a GP the next day. The wound started bleeding again in the afternoon. What a nightmare. How the heck are they medical professionals when they can't even stop a finger cut bleed.

September 2023: ⭐️ Disgusting service. Rude arrogant doctor in urgent care, not listening to patients. Receptionist us to a chair with a patient in it. My partner laying on the floor when there's a bed available. 3 hours and not seen by a nurse or doctor. February 2023: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ All the staff here have been amazing towards me. From admin to nurses, doctors, orderlies, volunteers and everyone I was assisted by. They have all been so kind and caring. I was seen to straight away and given good medical care. Love the new modern ED too.

The worst hospital I’ve ever been. I had strong crumps and bleeding 2 weeks after miscarriage. I went to GP and was told to go to the hospital and went there straightaway. It was 3pm. After 2hours I was called and a very young nurse injected me but it was a traumatized experience!! He was struggling to find a blood vessel and took so long and even asked another doctor for advice. And he finally gave me a shot but it hurts sooo much!!!!!!!!! I even cried because of the pain! He was moving the needle inside of my blood vessel!!!! I told him it hurts so much but he took so long to finish. And another nurse came to check on him and told it’s failed you need to do it again. And he left and another nurse told me to wait again outside. And they didn’t call us another 3 hours! Are you kidding? Don’t ever go to the hospital!

I came 12:30am to check out, i got crazy diarrhoea with abdomen pain, headache, fever. I was told need to wait until 5-6 hours to see a doctor cause there were lot of ppl, i said okay. One doctor assisted me, he was polite n friendly. Then he said, could meet in the waiting room see the blood result n everything. I was waiting since 6am next day afternoon 14:00pm. I asked a nurse what’s happening with dr, and results. All the people were with me gone, he called dr again another person called the dr He finally show up who was not assisted, it was different person. such a high ego human being I honestly will not come back this hospital again.

Pure and unbiased review Usually before I review anything I make sure I have given enough thought about the service and I should responsibly review some service and not just out of the blue review. I had been to Westmead Emergency two times and both the times it was for my wife who had severe abdomen pain. 1. The first thing to note is the cold reception you receive. As if you made a mistake by coming there. I have seen a few receptionists smiling amongst themselves while the patients within the room are suffering. So immediately you will get the sense of service you are gonna receive. 2. There is a namesake Customer Experience Coordinator whose only responsibility is to update that “please wait” as all Nurses are busy. I dont blame this guy as because short staffed emergency services are bound to be busier but a customer experience coordinator does not care about customer experience. The icing on the cake is that this guy behaves based on your appearance. He seemed to be from South Asia but behaves with people from South Asia as if everyone is poor. His behaviour changes when a white skin customer approaches. So you get the gist. 3. My only worry is that I have a private insurance and I can (and most probably will) take my wife to a private hospital as her pain keeps coming. I wonder what about patients who cant afford private insurance and have been paying taxes and medicare levy and etc etc. there is a serious thought to be given to improve the Emergency services. 4. Last time my wife waited for 5 hours for a doctor to see her, before she decided to come out by signing a bond. I thought it was a one off delay but even this time its been 3 hours we have been told to wait for a doctor to see her and no one has seen her yet. If I ask, all I am given is a rude response “we cant do anything, sorry”. No one loves to come to an emergency services unless there is an emergency . May be this hospital thinks people come here for fun and treat us that way.

Appalling service! Below third world country treatment. The diva nurse has zero empathetic skills, if you do not want to serve people in pain, then why bother work in that role? It’s just sad and pathetic! You need to be in a near death situation to get treated. I just cannot understand the attitude and behaviour! Astound at the nurse and she says well you’ve been here 1.5 hours, others have waited 8 hours! So die or just wait basically right!! Also I don’t know if NSW health even bothers reading through the reviews, or is it just aimless and pointless posting our pain? And this is Australia!!

The dystopian emergency department of Hospitals I'm unsure how this emergency department hasn't been investigated by NSW health or the media. Unfortunately having had some experience in hospitals I feel I'm in a position to know about hospitals and emergency departments. This is literal third world standards, and that's offensive to third world hospitals, because its the lack of care displayed within the triage area can not be described. No privacy or dignity for the people being treated there. The entrance area is used to both treat people as well as discharge them, with no privacy your medical records are discussed in the reception area as they discharge you after abysmal care. They certainly can't be accused of discrimination, they dont appear to care about everyone equally, regardless of age or gender and symptoms, they treat everyone with the same level of disdain. How this emergency department hasn't had more incidents or complaints is the most bewildering part. If I need to attend an emergency department again, if I can I will travel 25 minutes to RPA where they actually care, help, follow up and seem to know what an emergency department should be doing for its patients.

Been to the emergency department 3 times in total. Twice for my wife and once for me. The wait times seems to keep on getting longer year on year. Last visit was 7.5hrs before a Doctor was assigned which was after midnight. And the doctor in the night shift wanted to wait for a specialist until the next morning before she did anything. I asked, if I can come back in the morning but was told will have to go through the whole process again. So we ended up spending 15hrs in total, in chairs at the lobby. And the reception staff can be very rude. However the Doctors are really kind and supportive. Just before being discharged, the hospital is very keen to ask if part of the costs can be changed to our private health insurance even though it’s covered under Medicare. But doesn’t look like there is any improvement in service over the years.

Rude staffs, no communication, majority of staff seems uninterested in their job, felt they make you feel exhausted and leave on your own accord. I felt either this hospital is overwhelmed or do not have spirit of hospital. Don't want to be judgemental but I felt punished being there.

The nurses, doctors and staff are extremely nice. But the wait time was not great. Arrived at the ED at around 10:30pm, ended up leaving at almost 8am. Just for a blood test and a conversation with the doctor. He was very polite and understanding. However I can't say that I was too happy with waiting 9 hours to get through it all. I assume there is a severe understaffing issue here, and I witnessed another patient complain that she was waiting for 12 hours. I advise everyone who goes there that you'll need to be aware of the severe wait times and that its possible not get the help you need immediately. If I knew how long the wait time would've been, I would have rather just stayed home :( I needed help immediately for my situation but honestly when I left, I felt worse than I did coming in after being forced to wait for that long. I usually don't like to leave negative reviews anywhere, but I just want everyone to be aware that the wait times can get extremely long here. This does not mean the staff were at fault, however. Their service and attitude were nothing short of great.

Absolutely rubbish if you have an emergency DO NOT come here One of the slowest dumbest hospitals I’ve ever been to minimum 6 hours just for a ecg and blood results happened to me all 9 times I have been here in the past few weeks some nights even waiting 9 hours + I gave liverpool a try and they competed everything and got me out of there within 3 hours

Useless! Even if you're dying, you need to wait a minimum of 4 hours. All staff is not interested, they see it as a job, they seem like lost and don't know what they're doing, inexperienced. I see some protests against the government by public health, now I don't feel sorry for them. So-called no one understands what kind of pressure they're under, they have no pressure comparing other countries. These people are lazy with no empathy. I'm sure they blame the government and sources etc, but I believe this is not the kind of job where you get angry and lose your all feelings. People are there waiting just because they need medical attention, they are not something that you can make them suffer so everyone knows the public system needs better quality. I'm not after quality; I am after consideration. I am sure they wouldn't accept if their relatives were in the same position as people there. On the other hand, my hands are tight because I don't have any alternatives but going emergency. I believe the government should avoid this system that is not working, and encourage people to get into the private system because as a taxpayer, I don't get the service that I pay anyway. The government shouldn't be taxing us for a service we can't even use.

Can’t blame the staff they are understaffed however the process of triage is flawed . No body checks what’s wrong when you register so you just sit there waiting and May have an urgent need to be assessed but no you just wait until the nurses call you . Get your act together @ minister Hazard . Contact me I will tell you first hand what’s good and what’s not working. Gladys more staff !!

Every times I visit to emergency services I feel like I am welcomed normal or in emergency case. Reception areas easy to communicate and register and I know I am not the only one waiting so I calculate the time for being wait but always get called my name to check the case in a reasonable amount of time. The next step is to see doctor but not that long to wait doctors solve my problems. The key to success in this event is be patient and I carry a good heart I believe. May God bless westmead hospital.😇👍🫶

About 2.5h wait which was understandable with the number of people there. I think they have it figured out well and the experience was pleasant overall. Without insurance they charge $507 for up to three first services (like x-ray) and then $169 for any additional one (but likely more if it's more specialised)

I was taken to Westmead hospital with severe anxiety. A doctor saw me two hours into my visit. Told me he would refer me to the mental health doctors. I did and waited 14 1/2 hours before I saw a doctor with severe anxiety because the first doctor had not put my name on the list, this is disgusting it was traumatic. It was traumatising the damage done by the hospital that day will not be repaired any time soon.

I find it hard to believe that in a country like Australia they can have such poor treatment and process to treat patients. We had to wait over 12 hours, my dad us an elderly man and they could not care less. Shame on the the hospital staff and goverment for letting our health system get to this stage. This are people lives they are dealing with and such long waiting times are just not acceptable.

Worst service I have ever seen. The nurses are not empathetic towards the patient. They clearly saying that you have to wait for at least 4 to 5 hours. For them the emergency is when the patient is almost near the death. They don’t care if you have severe pain you just need to be dying if you want to get treated or should i say just seen by the doctor. It should not be called Emergency. Ridiculous

Reception staff are mostly friendly. Triage is atrocious. Staff should remember that even though they are having a bad day, patients coming to hospital are generally feeling worse. Went in because I had chest pains from laying on concrete for 2 hours, after falling and hitting my head, and I was sent for X-rays on the wrong part of my body. 6 hours later I still hadn’t seen a dr and still had chest pains. Collapsed at the nurse station waiting for assistance and layed on the floor with no assistance for 30 minutes until they came to take me for X-rays… although nobody knew which dr had ordered them as I had not seen one. Triage are happier to yell at you. Triage nurses do not like their jobs.

Worst experience ever! The wait time is horrific and they weren't even that busy. The issue that makes it worse is the attitude of the reception staff....they are rude and not willing to assist at all. The investment in this hospital, its facilities and infrastructure is 1st class. Its just unfortunate that they are so under-staffed and their reception team have no customer service focus at all. This hospital is a slap on the face of the taxpayers.

Super long waiting to to get the proper treatment. Do not come if you have an option to other hospital.

This place is dangerous. 12 months ago I presented myself to emergency as I was not well. I was told i had a stomach ulcer and was not examined sufficently. I went to work the next day and in training I felt extremely sick. I went to Norwest Private and they found that my gall bladder was about to burst and needed emergency surgery. After having my gall bladder removed I have been having more medical issues. But seperate to that issue I had to goto Westmead hospital because i was in extreme pain as recommended by 000 as I would be administered pain relief much quicker. After I was told I would be given something, the doctor turned around and refused any pain relief while i sat there in pain waiting for a doctor. I asked to speak to a manager, nobody came. I said I will contact A current affair and let them know about the negligence, rudeness of staff and a lack of empathy. I explained my medical history, what medications I take, my current chronic condition as a result of having my gall bladder removed on top of other medical issues. I was told by the manager, "to goto another hospital" all i wanted was something a little stronger than panadol because its been a regular medication the last 12 months while i waited for a doctor. After I walked out to find another hospital or a place to get help the doctor called me and was looking for me. I was told I would have to wait 3.5hours to see a doctor then I get a call asking where I am 20min later I explained the situation and was given an script for Panadeine Forte. I dont understand why I wasnt given this in the first place which would of avoided this whole situation. Avoid this hospital at all costs! I hope this is a wake up call for the hospital and action is taken against the staff that were involved.

I am here since from 2am, now 7.30am. A lady was blown up finally. Hospital staff r treating her rude n crazy woman. I would join with her. My symptoms r almost gone n I don't know what I m waiting for. Just I had been done 3times vital check, in 5 hours haha. I asked medical certi because missed my morning shift. Nurse said I can have it after seen by doctor. I might wait another 5 hours to see doctor to ask medi certi.

The building has improved but the behaviour of some of the nurses have not. Compared to the doctors the nurses are seriously unprofessional and rude especially to patients with weak English. I have seen and heard nurses shouting at the patient while they didn’t knew her language.

Bridget has been assisting with my Mothers care while in emergency. She is thoughtful and courteous and very professional. We really appreciate her care and going the extra mile to ensure everything is okay. Best nurse experience we’ve ever had.

My husband was taken in for blocked arteries and nurse Guilia and “tall” Paul were fantastic. I can’t thank them enough for making us feel at ease. As busy and run down as they were they still found a moment to always make him laugh and understand what was happening! Even Carl one of the orderlies had my husband laughing and just conversing with such professionalism. God bless the amazing and so overworked hospital staff.

Cant say all positive about the management of the hospital , especially the ER DEPT. however , my visit was very positive because I was handed to Dr Joshua Farrell. I have never come across a doctor who is so patient , full of empathy and compassion. He was polite and so respectful despite having such a hectic time . Thank you Doctor for taking care of me and you handled me really well with the anxiety attack of mine kicked in I appreciate it and keep up the excellent work

Absolutely ridiculous, just spent 5 days in hospital because of their incompetence. Contaminated my blood cultures because of their poor cleanliness. I am a recent double transplant patient. I was asked to sit and wait, I said ‘I’m sorry but I have been advised to tell you I cannot sit and wait’ the receptionist looks and me and says in the exact same way she said the first time ‘please take a seat and wait’ I was seen within 10 minutes, in which I’m thankful for. But with a temp of 39 I was critical. I was shoved in a bed and told I could not have Panadol for another 7 hours!? I had to ask for a damp cloth to bring my temp down. I was given a hard blanket for a pillow. And a heavy blanket to place on my belly to brace it. Absolutely ridiculous.

The reception and nurses were good but the doctor was really rude. I understand it must have been a long day or something, but the way he spoke to me was unacceptable. I told him about my condition and how its getting worse but he just kept saying it’s normal and take painkillers. He did not even go through my reports thoroughly and cut off what I was trying say. Worst of all, he asked me for my opinion as to how I would like to be treated. I mean, bro, your the doctor not me, you are supposed to tell me the care plan or give me suggestions for improving my condition. I still mentioned my plan to get a surgery, he instantly declined and also said, that my condition isn’t enough for emergency. Said I will have to deal with the pain even if the painkillers are not working. Thanks much appreciated 👍🏻

I walked into the ER department with my ill mum and thought we would have a terrible experience and be there for hours because it was so busy. To my surprise I was met with kind, compassionate and knowledgeable staff that made the experience a breeze, from the receptionist to all treating providers. I would like to give a special shout out though to Dr A Coggins who was literally heaven sent. Not only was my mum treated with respect, high level of care and compassion but he's the type of doctor that attentively listens to the patient and then gives a diagnosis and treatment based on what the patients says and the evidence from the investigations. Australia needs more doctors like this who make it their duty to go above and beyond to ensure that they deliver the best care and do whatever it takes to make sure the patient gets better. Safe to say, thanks to Dr Coggins and the lovely team at Westmead my mum is now healed, happy and healthy again.

I don’t often write reviews but felt I didn’t have much of a choice. Terrible service received last night. Was there for 14 hours before getting a bed which was actually a chair. Was triaged and looked at by the doctor quickly but had to remain out in the waiting room whilst receiving any treatment. When you are unwell it’s quite terrible to have to pull an all nighter with zero sleep and the most uncomfortable waiting room. People sleeping on the floors etc. the nurses and the doctors were very nice however the rest of the staff and triage were so rude with terrible manners and the way they treat you. Your an inconvenience to them which is horrendous. If you ask for any type of update you get answers to brush you off that are actually incorrect which just makes people more frustrated and angry rather then being honest. At 9am I was told I was the first in the wait line to receive a ultrasound however they failed to mention that the ultrasound team didn’t start until 2pm. Absolutely terrible

The hospital staff are relatively friendly and nice people. Unfortunately the quality of service is really beat-down by the horribly long wait-times to actually talk to someone, and for the one time I came to the emergency department I had arrived about 7pm but didn't see a doctor until up to about 2am; I had fallen asleep and was surprised to be awoken.

Very Disappointed with Westmead hospital , very bad customer services , I came tonight regards my chest pain and stomach pain . They told its quite long wait, I was waiting from 8 pm then I saw new people coming and getting in before us . I went to the reception and ask how money people in front of me she say 7 then I was waiting for 8 hours waited still I haven’t got treated or seen by doctors. I stayed until 4am in the morning then I ask how many people on front of me and still I was last one . Emergency department mean seeing all patients equally and fairly and who came first should see by doctors first at less it’s emergency case .

We are really grateful for all the immediate help provided at the emergency section.My wife was well taken care of by Doctor Andrew Coggins and the staff. Would highly recommended it.

Took my mum there with a very painfull gallbladder and we were very impressed with the high level of service and care. All nurses, doctors and staff are extremely nice, knowledgeable and very attentive. So far the best Hospital I have been to.

Very helpful staff, I was seen amazingly quickly - once I found the right place. Google, it is critical that you note the movement of both the adults' and children's emergency departments at Westmead Hospital ASAP. It happened 2 months ago. You still show the old separate sites on your map. How many people in need of urgent care have followed your directions to the wrong part of the large hospital site? If you refuse to believe me, then call the hospital, or ask other trusted Google users in a survey.

Great experience. From getting checked out at triage to urgent care and short stay all of the doctors and nurses were amazing. Jo the night nurse and all the day nurses were amazing and very caring.

Pathetic , disgusting very disappointed with this place. I had been there yesterday due to severe pain on the neck. My neck became stiff and the pain was unbearable . After waiting for almost 4 hours they still didn’t call my name and the pain started to increase , it was horrible. I then had no option and simply didn’t understand what to do and finally came back home . Well this was not expected, as this was an emergency too. They did not take it seriously at all , then what’s the point of having an emergency situation where they treat the patient in this inhuman way where they keep them (patient ) to wait for a very long time and even after that they don’t even bother to keep the patient informed neither they called or texted after the I left the hospital. Hence this shows how irresponsible and pathetic service it is. Simply wasted 4 hours of my time for no good reason in this scenario of illness . I would never recommend anyone to visit Westmead Hospital emergency department.

I am pregnant. The Dr I had which was a male was yawning while talking to me and was like he honestly didn't care about what I had to say. He kept brushing me off and asking more and more questions not listening to my story. He yawned the whole conversation. I get he is tried but never said sorry or excuse me just kept yawning. Then on the other side the security guard room there was loud laughter and loud chattering while people out here in pain and suffering. I found it disturbing. Another thing is some nurses were not great at communicating. I was inside and they asked what you doing there and I said Noone told me what to do. They said to go outside in the waiting room. There was only a lady and a man who was very caring and kept coming out to see if I am okay ,rest didn't care at all. I asked if I can hear the baby they all said yes but what I waited for 4 hours was my blood test result... next day I couldn't help but to get an ultrasound . I was not happy with the Dr and some nurses. I couldn't stop crying because how overwhelmed I was I went up and said please help and the lady said " there is ambulance patience who are worse." So that was my experience. I just can not explain to be honest worst day.

Worst service ever. You will lose a whole day just waiting for these people to work. I am in pain, came here for help now hey made me site for 2 hours. Cant these incompetents understand that if some one is in pain they need help. Why are they encouraging us to go to private hospitals when they loot our tax. And why no one cares.

I am pregenent and fall down. So had a back and tummy pain. I waited there 3 hours and start getting tired and can not seat because of my situation. When i ask nurse she said you are 14 weeks pregenent. So you treat like a normal patient. Seriously, i am pregent and setting thier in that chair for 3 hours uncomfatbly and getting tired. Whay about a baby in my tummy. I left that place because i can not wait anymore. People doesnt know the value of what they do here. They are working for money not as a healty professional.

Westmead emergency have always been so good with me and others I know. Yes there will be long wait times in busy periods but that's normal. I've had care for multiple things such as mental health concerns, abscesses, pregnancies, asthma and stress. Triage, nurses and doctors are all lovely and caring, and have great experience!

Had to attend emergency recently and cannot fault the triage staff, nurses and doctors who assisted me whilst there. All were friendly and approachable, just needed more of them so the wait wasn’t quite so long but that is not their fault.

Worst experience I’ve ever had in my life, the most rude and irresponsible nurses are here. Been super sick , vomiting whole night, waited for 5 hrs, done CT scan of my head They kept me waiting, with the needle in my hand, had nothing to eat! When i was asking them how long more do i need to wait?! They keep saying we don’t know very rudely, and made me to leave finally without getting any results! Don’t go there, if you die, they don’t care

Contrary to the negative feedback I've previously heard, I had an amazing experience at Westmead Hospital Emergency Department tonight. From the reception staff to the triage nurse and ED doctor (Andrew), everyone was absolutely lovely! A thousand times better than Blacktown Hospital Emergency staff. 👌🏼

Im in here now. I have a fractured lower back and in amorous pain. After the pain meds that I was given at approx 0130 this morning wore off I woke up in pain and asked the night nurse for some more pain meds as I was in extreme pain only to be told to wait 15 min as they did change over. All I could hear was them talking about getting nails done and one nurse complained about how cold and tired she was most of the night. No care at all until the next shift and the nurse asked me if I was ok and got me pain meds straight away. Thank you Sophie.

If I could rate the service of this pathetic hospital as a 0 I would. It is so poorly managed, structured and is honestly horrific. I have never even imagined you would have to wait for 5-6 hours to be admitted or seen by a nurse. This is an absolute joke, it is unacceptable.

I was in emergency for 15hours I went in an ambulance only thing they did was blood test.very bad service for a big hospital.

I am in the hospital from 9 hours and no one call me . every time i try to ask when is my turn they answer me wait tell same one call you