Department of Health

It’s your task to ask

  • 17 October 2015

Man 1 - I always thought you just did what you were told hospital. 

Woman 1 - After all, you’re there to be looked after.

Woman 2 - But now I know I need to ask questions and tell my healthcare team what’s 

important to me. 

Woman 1 - I guess if I don’t tell them, how else will they know? And if I don’t ask questions, 

how will I know?

Woman 3 - I felt guilty asking the nurse lots of questions - I thought he would be very busy but 

he said it was important that I did. 

Man 2 - I asked how to get better and go home soon

Woman 1 - I also wanted to know when the doctor was going to visit my ward so I could ask my 

family to come in at the same time.

Woman 4 - Because Dad was feeling sick and had trouble hearing in the noisy ward, he asked if 

we could visit at the same time as the doctor, to help him understand everything. 

Man 3 - Trying to remember it all was quite overwhelming for me, and my family, so we asked 

for it to be written down.

Woman 4 - The doctor was very helpful. She repeated things for us and explained the medical 

terms we didn’t understand.

Man 2 - she had some information in my own language, and offered an interpreter.

Man 1 - It was tiring repeating my story to so many people during my stay, but I knew it would 

help us to work out a plan about what matters to me.

Narrator - It’s your task to ask. Get well soon.

Reviewed 18 October 2021