Concerns raised after elderly man turned away from Narromine hospital

An 85-year-old Narromine retiree, who did not wish to be named, told the Narromine News that after presenting to the hospital with an inflamed stitch near his throat - that he wanted removed - he was turned away.

"I want to get hold of a nurse to pull out a stitch for me, that was quite red and inflamed," the person said.

"They threw me out the door, they told me to move on to the medical centre."

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A spokesperson for the Western NSW Local Health Service said it was their policy to assess and treat patients in accordance with their clinical need.

"Patients presenting to Narromine Hospital, like any hospital emergency department in NSW, are assessed and treated in accordance with their clinical need," the spokesperson said.

"No one is ever turned away from an emergency department.

"Where appropriate, staff may refer people with non-urgent conditions to their general practitioner for further assessment or care."

The WNSWLHS spokesperson said in some cases patients might be transferred to Dubbo Health Service or other health services for further diagnostic work or treatment.

The retiree said he was required to walk almost a kilometre to the medical centre in the heat to get the stitch removed.

"I felt very uptight, because I don't have the medical health to walk that far as a man of 85," he said.

"I nearly collapsed when I got in."

He said he was concerned about other residents having similar experiences in Narromine.

"Everywhere I've been, and everyone I'm talking to they're all saying the same thing that I'm hearing," the resident said.

"We just want to know where we're travelling."