Jennifer
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Jennifer has a disability and is also a support person for a friend with disability.
She told the Royal Commission about her recent experiences as a hospital inpatient. She said health professionals ‘will lie by omission of information, at every chance they get, in order to comply with their workplace policies and treatment practices’.
Jennifer experienced doctors and nurses leaving out relevant information when seeking patient consent for treatment.
‘They have also shown that they will neglect to inform the patient of their health progress if they feel it may reflect badly on medical procedures they have used,’ she said.
‘Further doctors will threaten patients with involuntary treatment orders if the patient questions their practices or tries to ask for clarifying information about their treatment.’
Jennifer said that in her experience, medical staff will often dismiss the concerns or questions of patients with disability in the belief ‘they know better’. She said they routinely fail to provide clear information at a patient’s communication level.
She also said unless a patient has someone aggressively advocating for them, medical practitioners will ‘simply railroad a disabled patient into their own goals’.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.