Dear Editor,

I am writing to raise serious concerns about the treatment of non-verbal people with complex disabilities, based on our experience over multiple admissions at Royal Darwin Hospital.

This is not a misunderstanding of needs. It is a failure to care.

While a patient is in hospital, the hospital is responsible for all aspects of their care. During this time, the patient cannot access or use NDIS-funded supports. In this recent case, the patient was approved for 13 hours per day of one-to-one support from his known support workers solely to assist with communication. These workers were explicitly not permitted to provide nursing or personal care, as those responsibilities were to be met by hospital staff.

The communication support was provided. The patient’s needs were clearly and repeatedly communicated to health staff, including the need for pad changes, hydration, medication, and safe feeding. Those communications were ignored.

Over multiple admissions, a non-verbal man who cannot walk, talk, feed himself, drink independently, or function without full support was left in soiled pads for over 12 hours and without appropriate food or water for extended periods. He requires puréed food and thickened fluids and cannot eat or drink unless it is prepared correctly and physically given to him.

On several occasions, non-puréed food was left at his bedside, with an apparent expectation that he would feed himself, something he is physically incapable of doing. Thickened fluids were not provided, despite staff being informed of this critical requirement.

Support workers repeatedly requested nursing staff to attend to these needs. The response was routinely that staff were “too busy” and would return shortly. They did not.

This is not an isolated oversight. It is neglect.

Complaints were raised with ward and emergency staff. A doctor advised that patients are treated with dignity and respect. If leaving a non-verbal man who cannot walk, talk, eat, or drink independently sitting in his own waste without food or water for more than 12 hours meets that standard, then there should be grave concern for other disabled people and aged-care residents who have no voice and no advocate.

People with complex disabilities rely entirely on others to meet their most basic needs. When hospital systems fail them, the harm is immediate, degrading, and preventable.

This is not about staffing pressures. It is about accountability. Non-verbal people are not invisible, and they are not less deserving of care because they cannot ask for help.

If hospitals cannot provide basic care to people with complex disabilities, this must be acknowledged honestly because what is occurring is not care. It is abandonment.

And that should alarm every member of our community.

Fiona Thomas, Driver

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