Griffith Base Hospital Dental Clinic - Griffith, New South Wales

Kitty Kate

“It doesn’t matter if your child is or isn’t eligible for the CDBS. All children receive the same high standard of care that all of our patients receive”… This is a direct quote from the NSW govmt website….can someone please explain this to all the staff at this place the manager here in particular was so horribly rude demeaning unhelpful and reprimanding and kept telling me to go private and tried cancelling my appointment after I pulled the kids out of school and travelled nearly an hour to get there. I felt ganged up on, belittled and bullied in front of my two young boys for booking the kids here. I was made to feel like a criminal for taking my two minor children here and interrogated despite providing full information they requested in writing at the time of booking and offering to fill in a form when I got there and respond to all their questions in writing. The first thing staff do is try to get me to sign to agree to means testing for CDBS WITHOUT explaining there is means testing that will be done. I was made to feel confused and stupid as the nurse kept saying my signature is so that the govmt gives them 1k for their clinics expenses and equipment. I offered to sign if that’s what they need me to do so the kids can see the dentist.She kept repeating it’s for the clinic to get money from the govmt. And not for the kids to be treated there. She was respectful though just confused and stressed me due to her inability to properly explain which is ok. I supplied my Medicare card and happy to pay Medicare out of pocket costs for the kids. Then the dentist who had her faced covered in a large mask the entire time so I never saw her face tells me I’m standing too close to her she’s not comfortable go sit down at the back of the room I cannot stand there. This was so upsetting to me. I was not close to her at least one and a half arm lengths distance between us and she could choose to move herself instead of speaking to me that way and I told her this. I thought she feared coronavirus as her face remained covered up the entire time by a larger than normal face mask. The manager stated it was due to patient info in the computer but it was my own sons info on the computer!! They should make sure other patient info not there before escorting us to the treatment room No excuses for how I was treated. Lots more was said and done I was unable to keep my composure and burst into tears. New to the area and struggling due to experiences like this. I asked for a complaints form and the rude manager bolted and did not oblige. Refused to allow me to see a different dentist ever. The dentist asked my child his name and date of birth to which he responded correctly. Then she entered his teeth detail under the wrong child’s name! There was another nice nurse who witnessed this. Horrible experience made me emotionally breakdown in front of my kids due to the ganging up rudeness and bullying from the manager in particular as she should know better that’s not how to deal with anyone. My poor kids witnessing this.