South Health Campus - Calgary, Alberta

Laura

We have been here three times now, two visits to the emergency department. The first for an 8 hour wait during the day and to be fully expected considering we live in a big city. The second was a 2 hour visit in the early hours of the morning. The third was a minor surgery at the clinic and we have no complaints with the service or the hospital.

Joanne M.

My mom was taken great care of in the Emergency department by the doctor and the nursing staff yesterday. She has dementia, and she can be extremely difficult to help. I sincerely do not know how they do what they do, everyday, with such kindness, understanding, compassion, and care. My mom received amazing care. Dr. Fray (?) was super. He was the very best communicator! I am not medical, and he spoke to me on a level I could understand. He called me twice! Himself! Fantastic care, and excellent communication. I believe my mom received excellent care, from Jocelyn and the whole Team. I know it's easy to provide negative feedback, but I believe it is more important to tell people when they are doing really good work, that affects people in a positive way. Thank you to the whole Team!

Quinn C.

We were initially informed by HealthLink that the wait time would be two hours, but we ultimately waited 4.5 hours. The patient was experiencing serious difficulty breathing, yet the facility chose to prioritize the health of young children over an elderly patient. While we understand the need for difficult triage decisions, this situation highlights the urgent need for systemic reform.

The level of service provided within the public sector is deeply concerning and does not reflect the respect and care that taxpayers—who fund these services—deserve. It is unacceptable for individuals in need of urgent medical attention to experience such delays and disregard. We must explore alternatives, including a semi-private system, to ensure accountability and improve the quality of care. Public servants should be held to a higher standard, as their work directly impacts the well-being of those they serve.

Reform is not just necessary—it is critical.

Kathie R. S.

My poor star review is for the 4 (FOUR) TERRIBLE people out of the maybe (ONE HUNDRED) 100 (Drs, Nurses, Aids and cleaning people) I encountered in my 6 days in Pod 68.
EVERYONE ELSE WAS BEYOND WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately those bad apples bring the standard of care down to a frightening level.
It does not help that there are 50-55 people in a 33 bed pod!!!!!!!! And the same amount of staff (or maybe even less because of the constant shortage of health care workers) that there should be for that many people.
If you are not ambulatory, like I was, you must be prepared to wait for help for a long time. Long enough that you wet the diaper they keep patients of that category in because they are often so long getting to them that they can't hold it.
It was gross for me, an ambulatory patient, to be in a position to HAVE TO USE the commode that would often be left locked over the toilet after my roommate had been taken to the bathroom.
These commodes are heavy and almost impossible to release the locks to move them without shoes!!
They are never wiped down after they are used (nurses and aids don't have time to clean, that is the job for the cleaners, ha.) and I would be forced to sit on the black seat that was covered with dandruff-like epithelial cells (I, at 76, always wipe the toilet seat off because I too drop skin dandruff everywhere I go.) dropped from the previous occupant, not to mention the 'furry' wheels that made me want to puke.
I AM A PATIENT, NOT A CLEANER!!!!!!!
For 5 days I told every cleaner about that and showed them pictures. NOT ONE DID A SINGLE THING TO CLEAN THIS until a temp worker came in on Friday and was horrified (The level of uncaring is directly related to how overworked these people are) and went and brought her supervisor in. The supervisor told her to clean the commode, but wasn't impressed because it was going to mean more money on the temp worker's time card.
The Alberta Health Care budget is stretched like a cheap rubber band. Take a look at the cover on the window seat..
Everyone who sat on it the whole 6 days I was there, left covered with fallout and it was constantly all over the room! Yuck. Of course it could never be disinfected because it is disintegrating!!!!!!!!! All of my visitors and their children sat and ate and changed their baby's diapers on that cushion.
JUST HOW SANITARY DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE?
And, this is not an isolated situation. My second roommate said the other rooms she had been in on that floor were in the same condition.
This review/expose will contain more information when I flesh it out, but for now I will finish with Nurse Cratched, real name Brooklyn, but no less uncaring or evil than the character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Read the top left square in the red laminated notice that is posted outside the door of any patient that is not ambulatory.
Karl is 92 years old and suffering from congestive heart failure and COPD! Each one a death sentence.
The first two days I was in Room 11 he spent in his bed, in a foetal position, struggling to breathe because they were rationing his oxygen and I got to listen to him fighting for breath all day and all night.
He was lucid and conversational when he could gather enough breath to talk. One of the loveliest people I have ever met in my life!! With one of the loveliest families that I am still in touch with because he was, thankfully, moved to another/better facility.
In that first two days, not one nurse or aid had opportunity to ASSIST WITH MOBILITY, IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM.
Karl COULD NOT move himself!!!!!!!!!!!!
KARL'S SHOULDERS HAD OCCASIONALLY BEEN MOVED IN AN EFFORT TO PUT HIS HEAD IN A BETTER POSITION, BUT NO ONE HAD IN ANY WAY "MOBILIZED HIM TWICE DAILY".
Lucky Karl that he got Nurse Brooklyn "Cratched" to be on our desk when the order came down for him to TRY go to the bathroom.
Couldn't finish-no room so I posted on the hospital patient comment form...

J R.

I want to express my appreciation for the outstanding care and support the doctors, nurses and other staff provided during my mother’s stay in the Rapid Access Unit at the South Health Campus in September. Your commitment, dedication, kindness and compassion to your patients is truly admirable. Thank you so much for all you do.

em

Don't go here if you are in a medical emergency that needs attention in less than 5 hours. During the two times that I have been here (ER) I have waited atleast 10 hours until I was properly assessed as well as treated. I have been coughing non stop and when I had asked if I could go get water the nurse told me to just sit down and that she'd bring it. 20 minutes went by and I never recieved my water.

Ryan M.

Ryan Dave in emergency triage where I was welcomed was incredibly professional. To Danielle the nurse who hooked me up to all the machines and Savannah the tech who looked after my heart and IV and Dr Kavaroff who supervises my treatment as well as Jeannie who was so kind to bring me a meal and help me with my comfort issues and also helped me leave the hospital, what an incredible team that made my experience at south health campus outstanding. I am so grateful for how you made me feel and treated me like I belonged in the Canadian health care system. I hope you all get rewarded for your hard work. Thank you!

Francess M.

I'm extremely disappointed with the healthcare system, particularly with the shortage of staff. My husband and I visited the hospital due to concerns about his post-surgery wound, which had a drain pipe and was showing signs of infection, such as rashes and redness. Despite being told that home care would follow up, we haven't heard from them in over a week.

At the hospital, we waited for over six hours, watching as people who arrived 3 hours after us were attended to. It wasn't until a volunteer worker approached us, inquiring about our arrival time, according to her it was time for her to leave (God bless her soul) after asking a few questions comes back and instructed that we rejoin the triage line. I fail to understand why emergency rooms can't streamline their processes to reduce wait times or quit the long process for qualified healthcare workers from other countries to practice.

While I acknowledge that not all cases are life-threatening, I believe it's more efficient to provide prompt attention and send patients on their way. Effective time management is crucial in every industry, yet hospitals seem to be an exception. Our entire day was wasted, and all we needed was a simple consultation, “every thing looks fine” or possibly a prescription.

The lack of organization and communication within the healthcare system is appalling, and I hope that authorities like AHS take responsibility for these shortcomings.