Western NSW Local Health District's (WNSWLHD) emergency departments (EDs) have received strong results in the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Emergency Department Patient Survey 2021-22.
Western NSW Local Health District's (WNSWLHD) emergency departments (EDs) have received strong results in the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Emergency Department Patient Survey 2021-22.
The survey provides a snapshot of the experience of 1368 people who attended the District's EDs between July 2021 and June 2022. Many surveyed were treated during the Delta and Omicron waves of COVID-19.
Mark Spittal, WNSWLHD Chief Executive, said the District's individual facilities performed well compared to hospitals of a similar size during a period of high demand for emergency care.
"Our ED staff across the District worked tirelessly to provide the best care possible for our patients during a period when they were incredibly challenged by the Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19," Mr Spittal said.
"As they have throughout the pandemic, our staff continued to adapt under pressure to keep our communities safe and I'm incredibly proud to see our District perform so well."
More than nine in 10 patients (91 per cent) who responded to the survey across WNSWLHD said their care in the ED was either 'very good' or 'good', which is higher than the NSW result of 88 per cent.
In addition, 93 per cent of survey respondents also rated the ED health professionals who treated them as 'very good' or good, which is higher than the NSW result of 91 per cent.
Of note, both Bathurst Hospital and Forbes Hospital both performed better than the average for hospitals of a similar size across the state in a number of the BHI survey's questions.
More than nine in 10 patients (92 per cent) rated the care they received in the ED at Bathurst Hospital as either 'very good' or 'good', compared to 87 per cent across hospitals of a similar size.
A majority (91 per cent) of patients rated their treating ED health professionals at Forbes Hospital as 'very good' or 'good', which is higher than its peer group result of 89 per cent.
Other areas where both Bathurst and Forbes were rated higher by patients than their respective peer group included being treated with respect and dignity while in the ED, speaking highly of the ED experience to family and friends and feeling involved in decisions about their discharge.
"Surveys like this highlight what we're doing well, where we have improved and what we can change to continue enhancing services for our patients in hospitals across the District," Mr Spittal said.
Other findings in Western NSW Local Health District
Bathurst Hospital:
- Patients rated their treating ED health professionals highly, with 93 per cent saying their clinicians were 'very good' or 'good' compared to 88 per cent across hospitals of a similar size.
- Almost all patients (95 per cent) said they were 'definitely' or 'to some extent' as involved as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment, higher than the peer group result of 92 per cent.
- More than eight in 10 (81 per cent) patients said their ED healthcare staff 'always' explained things in a way they could understand, which was better than the result across hospitals of a similar size (79 per cent).
- Almost nine in 10 (88 per cent) patients said they were told who to contact if they were worried about their condition or treatment after leaving the ED, compared to 82 per cent across the peer group.
Cowra Health Service:
- Almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) of patients rated their care as 'very good' or 'good', an improvement of eight percentage points from the previous year (82 per cent) and better than the peer group result of 86 per cent.
- A high proportion (90 per cent) of patients rated the health professionals who treated them as 'very good' or 'good', compared to 79 per cent the previous year and peer group results of 89 per cent.
- Almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) of patients said healthcare professionals were 'very good' working together as a team, slightly above peer group results of 87 per cent.
- Nine in 10 (90 per cent) patients said ED staff checked on their condition while waiting to be treated, compared to 82 per cent across hospitals of a similar size.
Dubbo Hospital:
- Almost nine in 10 patients (89 per cent) rated their care as 'very good' or 'good', compared to peer group results of 87 per cent.
- Patients also rated their treating ED professionals highly, with 91 per cent saying they were 'very good' or 'good'. This was marginally higher than at hospitals of a similar size (90 per cent).
- Three-quarters of patients (75 per cent) said they 'would speak highly' of their ED experience to family and friends, above the peer group result of 71 per cent.
- More than three-quarters of patients (77 per cent) said the ED was 'very clean' compared to 72 per cent across the peer group.
Forbes Health Service:
- Patients rated their care highly at Forbes, with nine in 10 (90 per cent) rating their care as either 'very good' or 'good', compared to the peer group result of 87 per cent.
- More than eight in 10 (84 per cent) of patients said ED health professionals were 'always' kind and caring towards them, slightly higher than the peer group result of 83 per cent.
- Cleanliness at Forbes rated significantly higher than both state-wide and peer group results, with 91 per cent of patients saying the ED was 'very clean' compared to 72 per cent across NSW and 80 per cent across hospitals of a similar size. This was the highest rating in WNSWLHD.
Mudgee Health Service:
- Almost nine in 10 patients (88 per cent) rated the care they received in the ED as 'very good' or 'good', compared to 87 per cent across hospitals of a similar size.
- A high proportion (89 per cent) rated their ED health professionals as 'very good' or 'good'. This was equal to the overall peer group result.
- Mudgee's ED was rated 'very clean' by 90 per cent of patients compared to 80 per cent across the peer group.
Orange Hospital:
- Almost all patients (95 per cent) rated the care they received at Orange's ED as 'very good' or 'good', compared to 87 per cent across hospitals of a similar size.
- Almost all patients (96 per cent) rated their treating ED healthcare professionals as either 'very good' or 'good', higher than the peer group result of 90 per cent.
- More than three-quarters of patients (77 per cent) said they 'would speak highly' of their ED experience at Orange to friends and family, compared to 71 per cent across the hospital's peer group.
- More than eight in 10 patients (83 per cent) said ED health professionals 'always' explained things in a way they could understand, higher than the peer group average of 80 per cent.
