Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) in 5 Spine surgery clinics in Australia

Dr Anthony Chau was my angel and lifesaver.. I suffered for 3.5months with a L4L5 bulging disc and he pulled me out of hell. I will be forever grateful for his care, compassion and service. He did a remarkable job. I feel so blessed 🙏 thank you Dr Anthony Chau with all my heart.

Dr Papacostas completely misdiagnosed me and caused me three extra months of pain and loss of mobility. Thankfully I got a second opinion and have just had surgery to correct a prolapsed disc. The pain has now gone, and I have regained all function in my leg. My main grip with him is that he did not listen to my concerns on the follow-up appointment which was by phone. He just dismissed them out of hand and told me the problem was being caused by arthritis and to seek pain management. If he had reviewed the MRI (which I doubt) he would have seen the prolapsed disc which was quickly picked up by the second neurosurgeon who was looking at the same MRI. My message to him is to listen to what the patient is telling you

BCNC has been very professional and taken great care with their service's to both my husband and myself. I recently have been seeing Dr Amato who performed a spinal fusion on me, and it was nothing but a good experience. Dr Amato has a great bed side manner, explains everything well, and great post operative care. I had no hesitations deciding to go forth with a second fusion required. Thank you BCNC, Dr Campbell, and Dr Woods, but most of all thank you Dr Amato - you are a champion.

You will probably die before you get your waitlist surgery appointment date, unless another hospital saves you out of your misery. Stay away from this hospital as there is absolutely no compassion here!!

This was my fourth time at this hospital for post-surgery exercise, today I had two other people's records on my file. The staff member that was assigned to me, was confused because of this. I was there for my back exercise, not my hip or knee. You can only blame the Qld health office staff for this. THANK GOD I WAS NOT HAVING A OPERATION. ANOTHER MISTAKE FROM QLD HEALTH

I had a hemorrhage type stroke in the ER room after being denied the usage of Ryan's Rule, staff is extremely rude and unprofessional. Since the stroke I have been refused triage and denied medical treatment every time I attempt to present to emergency with the Doctor's very rudely telling me they aren't going to treat me and to go home during my acute medical episode which included my brain actively hemorrhaging. Have only ever received treatment when the Police have done an EEA which involved the staff drugging with me high amounts of Morphine the first time and Fentanyl the second time making me unconscious for the EEA before releasing me outside which resulted in me getting hit by a car. Incredibly disgusting behavior by an abhorrent group of staff and pathetic excuses for Nurses and Doctors.

Gross negligence in patient care- avoid this hospital like the plague.. it’s an absolute joke. if I could give no stars I would. If you value your life and want a good chance of recovery and not to die due to poor nursing and “specialist care” - DO NOT GO TO GREENSLOPES… you have been warned.

Had private health cover for most of my adult life and one time I needed to use it, the experience was so horrible. I’ve triggered Ramsay rule 3 times without success, was told medical director was going to see me, but that did not ever happen. I was eventually transferred to a public hospital, and experience was so much better.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the hospital and its incredible team for the exceptional support and care we received during my cesarean section. The nurses and Midwife were outstanding, the food was worthy of a 5-star hotel, and Dr. Melissa Mckenzie proved to be the best in the world. Every detail of our stay was handled with professionalism and warmth, making us feel cared for and comfortable. Even after 5 days, I would have wished to extend our stay because they made us feel at home. Highly recommended! Thank you all for making this moment so special and peaceful for my baby and me. 👶🌟"

What superb care my darling 95yr old Dad received in their A&E dept!!!! The Male Nurse, 'Nappy', was so kind, compassionate and approachable and so gentle with my Dad. Thanks to him, I was able to take my Dad home later this afternoon, problem rectified and my Dad in much better spirits too! The triage Nurse was really lovely and the clerk, Julie, was also incredibly kind, calm and compassionate. They are a shining example of what all A&E Department should aspire to! So very grateful! God bless you all. 🙏🏼🕊🙏🏼

It's disgraceful for a hospital that holds itself out as one of the premier hospitals. They are not equipped to care for elderly and frail patients who as we well know often suffer from poor appetite and require more intensive attention. . My wife who in her 80s, is frail and weak, has been in there for two weeks and no one has checked her food intake. During the two weeks she only had mostly soup. I had to point this out to them and request for food supplement to be provided. The nurses explain that they are understaffed and can only provide the basic attention and care. On the other hand the nurses are polite and kind but obviously stressed.

After severing an artery and nerve at my workplace, I was directed to attend SJOG Murdoch for reparative surgery by Dr Sharon Chu. From the moment I set foot in the hospital, the level of kindness, care and competence was exemplary. Orderlies were extremely kind and attentive, the nurses and doctors were super efficient and lovely, I couldn't fault anyone I came into contact with. My anaesthetist, Dr James Miller was similarly amazing, taking my past history with genersl anaesthesia into account and ensuring I did not wake up sick and vomiting after the GA as I usually do. I woke up in recovery feeling great, with no hint of nausea. Dr Chu was similarly impressive, not only by doing a great job on the repair, but by being kind, attentive and very reassuring. Her smile lit up the room and completely put me at ease, it made all the difference and eased my pre-op anxiety! My breakfast the next day was superb and ordering off the room service menu felt as though I was in a 5 star hotel! It was delivered promptly with a smile by another lovely hospital employee and was hot & delicious. I truly felt that I was having a lovely holiday, with just a bit of surgery thrown in for good measure! I cannot fault my experience at SJOG Murdoch and give my heartfelt thanks to all imvolved in my care!

I don't know where to start from,I had a fall on Oct 7 2023 and ambulance took me to ED,I was attended fast and though I was high with green whistle but I can still say all the staff who attended me was very supportive. Mind it I never been to hospital in my full life. After I came out of theatre, I moved to orthopedic ward,some ward5 ..sorry don't exactly remember, but the Nursing staff there was so helpful and supportive they really tried there best,they talk positive they listen you ,understand you and took care of your dignity and privacy,after a week I moved to.plastic OMG the Nursing staff there was like an angles sorry I can't name anyone as they all were the best including an Asian uni student.what a great level of skills and patience the staff have.thank you very much all doctors and nursing staff to fix me up and taking a great care of me.will surely visit in person to pay my gratitude and to say thanks to all once am completely recovered. Wish you all a very merry x mas and a happy new year. Regards

You've been fantastic! Your positive attitude and kindness reassured my family that I was being looked after, and throughout my stay I felt I was in good hands. I am now feeling stronger, and I am feeling much more hopeful about my recovery. Kind regards, Saba

We were ask to attend for an elective planned surgery. This is a second procedure follow on from the first. The 1st admission process was smooth with minor hiccups that we overlooked because we were happy with the surgical outcome. The second procedure we were aware that we might be the 3rd listed for surgery. We were advised to attend for pre-admission procedure at 6.30 am. We did as we were told. The nurse advised us that we might be called in at 1130hrs to get ready to be taken to theatre. We waited, waited and waited and no call for theatre or a decency of an update on the delay. We attend RMH at the surgeon request which we know is best with the expert in the field here. We attended as private patient in a public system. We don't have any problem with that arrangement either. But someone who is highly anxious with heighten anxiety and a delay such as this is entirely unacceptable. It further exacerbated with such appalling poor communication. Providing the best health care does not stop at surgical outcome alone, but how the patient and the family made to feel the entire experience will be what constitutes best health care. I don't know this is a result of poor training where empathy is out of the window or complete complacency of the public system. If one were to admit to ED, with no bed within 4 hours will be a red flag. Not until we approached the reception staff we received an update. What has been a good encounter is tarnish by such lack of attention to basic courtesy of good communication. Very disappointing today.

Thursday 8th December 9.30pm to 2.30 Janice the nurse in emergency was amazing. She was kind and caring and looked after my son who was having heart problems. Thank you so much Janice! The doctor was also lovely A kind Irish man Very helpful, answering all of our questions.

my partner was taken into the ER on tuesday afternoon and spend all night and all morning wednesday there, the nurses were amazingly dutiful and took great care of both him and me. our nurse sarah went above and beyond for us and did her best to make us comfortable and keep him in the best condition possible at the time. i'm super thankful for all the nurses.

Long waits for surgeries and wait times can take over an hour for a booked appointment. A Dr or two aren’t helpful but staff do their best with the pressure and demand they are under. I have been going to this hospital since birth. They are doing more renovations so it should more upgraded within the next few years. Apart from that staff and nurses are great. Cafes and plenty of food and coffee to grab whilst you wait.

I cannot thank the wonderful people at this hospital who showed great care and understanding to my situation. They were efficient, caring and above all very professional. I cannot rate them highly enough. They deal with some very difficult people and situations and to their credit come back next shift to do it all again. They are special people who should be recognised for their effort.

The doctors and Medical staff are great and they deserve a 5 star based on my experience. However, the Hospital desperately needs to look into how their back office staff treat people. My mother was admitted as an overseas patient. When she was discharged, a lady came and asked us to go to a private area and she put some papers asking me to sign it. When I asked her what I was being asked to sign, her response was “will explain once you have signed it.” When I declined, she started getting aggressive and rude. It came to a point that I had to ask her to get a second person come in and witness what she her aggressive and pushy behaviour. Finally when a second person was present in the room, her behaviour changed to an angel. Then we went through the invoice realising that we were charged for 3 nights when mom was admitted for 2 nights only. There were other errors as well. I am writing this because I hope that this will alert private patients and they are prepared to deal with these scenarios.

I had to have an emergency surgery on the 11/11/2023. I just want to thank the Staff at the hospital for such a professional , polite and extremely well co-ordinated care from start to end . From arriving at the beginning and being interviewed by the first point of contact (nurse) and then the admin staff, both professional and friendly. When the nurse from the Emergency Department came to fetch me , she was brilliant in her care, after the Doctor saw me . She was so thorough and careful in attaching my drip for my medication . She was so careful in finding a strong vein to take my blood , and answering any questions I asked her. What an amazing nurse. The doctor was also polite and friendly and explained what needed to be done . One of the surgical team came to speak to me as well and told me exactly what the surgery was all about , also friendly and polite . They then moved me to a ward and the PSA staff member was friendly and polite. At the ward , there was a student nurse and she was so professional in her manner of asking questions and checking my Blood pressure , temperature and oxygen , she even went to find my wife a chair. When the student's shift ended , the nurse that took care of me was even more amazing , explaining what was going to happen and reassuring me , went with me to the theatre and escorted back after the surgery. Took great care in her treatment of me , with pain relief and antibiotics through my drip. I just want to say a big thank you to her. The anaesthetists were so thorough and reassuring as well as polite and friendly . Both were so willing in answering and explaining my concerns or questions I had .The anaesthetist nurse assistant was polite and friendly. The surgeon was great , helpful and friendly . Sunshine hospital is so clean and has great modern facilities and technology. Thank you so much Sunshine hospital for your great service from ALL your staff .

Yesterday, I had to have an operation at RPA. It was amazing service, and the staff were wonderful. All the nurses and doctors were fantastic, and I would like to commend them on their work and thank them again very much. Great job. Thank you 😊

The hospital is hit miss like all of NSW Health. The nurses have mental health issues so depending on which nurse you get, either you will receive good care or be subjected to abuse like having your meds not given, information not provided, details not passed to your doctors (who often review remotely so you don’t see them every day). The outsourced food is not relevant to your needs and not replaced with adequate nutrition if you have allergies etc. I saw one new father deliberately kept outside because the nurses didn’t like him then watched them laugh at the struggling new mum who was doing things without support and the nurses just watched, didn’t help her. Same with trying to get information from Doctors, they simply don’t talk to you. The information provided by the nurses is often half-truths designed to placate people not be honest with them.

I don’t know if they will see it but thank you so much to Maddie, Lisa, Eva, Greg, Todd and all of the other overworked nurses and drs who looked after me whose names I didn’t catch or couldn’t remember. I just had my appendix out and it was my first ever hospital visit and everyone was so kind and attentive. I really appreciate how hard you all work. Thank you so much ♥️

If you want to feel safe, respected and that you will recieve decent care, then don't go to this Emergency Department. The street from the car park to the ED is dark and deserted, the triage nurse was condescending and kept trying to put words int my mouth about my own pain to minimise it. The admin person was deadpan and complained that my doctor was not on their records at the same address I had for her. She kept looking at me like it was my mistake. The room seemed deliberately set up to get rid of people, the temperature was freezing cold, the television was so loud that people were having trouble hearing their name called. It also forced staff to yell names out, contributing to the excessive unreasonable amount of noise. Some poor baby was crying, clearly distressed, for half an hour (seemingly unattended) and three elderly people were left in cold uncomfortable seats that caused my body pain, so I hate to imagine their pain. And to top things off, the hand sanitiser was empty, so chances are if you touched anything, it would have germs on it. Just don't go there. Clearly they don't want you and you will be in more pain leaving than when you arrived.

The emergency staff and most of the nurses were fantastic. Once you reach the maximum subsidy they get from the commonwealth government regardless of how sick you are. You are moved to the ends of the hospital with no care or caring. I was told my private health insurance made no difference here and I should be in a private hospital. We wonder why our health system is so screwed up. This is a great indication why. I will be going private from now on. I know where my business is not wanted.

My friend was in hospital for 5 hours complaining she was unable to breathe due to a most likely respiratory infection. She got let into emergency pretty fast but then after getting a few blood tests and a cannula nothing else really happened. After the cannula, the doctor said she most likely had an infection, she asked them ‘what type of infection’ and he said ‘I don’t know, I’ve only known you for two minutes’. And then after waiting for a while, we asked another nurse if we could just get an update and she said ‘if we ask the doctors, that means they stop working’ and then opened our curtain and wouldn’t let us shut it because ‘she wouldn’t be able to see we were there’. Then after another hour we asked to leave and then the nice nurse that we liked said we could because they did all they could, when they could’ve told us that many hours ago. We still have no idea what is wrong with our friend #emo 😖

My experiences here aren't great at all. My partner had his appendix out here this year, kept cancelling his operation at 5pm then not giving him any dinner, this went on for 4 days. I was there for a scan for my pregnancy last week. Person doing it was male, and quite rude, ignored any questions I had. This morning we went again to find out our scheduled scan was already completed two weeks ago, that they had done two scans in one, so we went to have our bloods done. I'm not usually impatient ornride towards hospital staff at all, but the woman who pushed in front of us was seen first, and the phlebotomists, all 5 of them the. Left us sitting there and saw 9 other people ahead of us while we waited for over an hour, they just saw anyone else who walked in. It was so rude I eventually got up and walked out.

This is my second visit for surgery the first was a couple of years ago for a kidney stones I fasted for 3 days waiting each day for the non-existing surgery. Today I am in exactly the same position, day 2 of fasting. If you are needing emergency surgery, expect to wait, be frustrated and be hungry. PS they will give you a couple of sandwiches when the message finally comes in that the surgery will be tomorrow. Walk out get hit by a car and then you may get looked at

Alone mother with my child. We had the worse experience. Staff don't communicate, no catering for remote living transports. Indigenous just abuse the staff and ended up in our room also using their kid as a place to sleep the night. I hope to never be sent to this place again.

I had self funded surgery here 6 weeks ago. My surgeon and anaesthetist were amazing. 10/10. The nurses I had when I came out of recovery were great. Attention to detail, caring, wonderful. The nurses I had the following day were average. The surgery cost $11950, I was in hospital less than 18 hours. My admission was messed up, so after fasting from 9pm for an 8am surgery, I wasn’t admitted until after 4pm. Surgery went great and was out of recovery by 8pm. The next morning I wasn’t given any fluids or anything and was discharged not long after waking. I was given the wrong discharge papers and medication scripts too. Please do better in future. I would definitely think twice about having surgery here again.

All the staff at the Wesley are amazing. Even when staff are super busy, they are friendly, they make time for you and your every concern. The staff look happy and appear to work as a well oiled team. Comfortable rooms and great food choices (including Vegan options) and service. Remember, it is a Hospital not a restaurant. It really is the best! Thank you Wesley

Professional staff, every nurse and doctors were amazing at the Wesley hospital. Special thanks to Dr GOUGH who performed an excellent thyroid operation.