Patients are very happy with the care they’re getting in local hospitals in the Hunter New England Health District (HNEHD).
The latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) 2020 Adult Admitted Patient Survey has asked patients what their views were across a broad range of areas.
The feedback was positive with almost all patients, around 96 per cent, saying the care they received was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
HNELHD Chief Executive Mr Michael DiRienzo said patients across the District were particularly positive about the healthcare professionals who cared for them.
“Pleasingly, most patients always had trust and confidence in the doctors (85 per cent) and nurses (88 per cent) who treated them,” Michael DiRienzo said.
“90 per cent felt they were always treated with respect and dignity, while 83 per cent said health professionals always explained things in a way they could understand.”
“It is very pleasing to see our patients appreciate the high-quality care they receive at the hands of our dedicated doctors and nurses,” Michael DiRienzo said.
Across the District, 95 per cent of patients rated their treating doctors as ‘very good’ or ‘good’, while 97 per cent rated their treating nurses as ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
The results also showed a proportion of patients surveyed who felt the overall care was ‘very good’ at Belmont and Kurri Kurri hospitals, was higher than the state average, while at Kurri Kurri the proportion of patients who felt the care received was ‘very well organised’ was also higher compared with the rest of NSW.
Patients were very happy at the John Hunter Hospital too with almost all patients surveyed (98 per cent) rating overall hospital care as ‘very good’ or ‘good’, with the same proportion rating doctors’ care as either ‘very good’ or ‘good’. A similarly high proportion (97 per cent) rated nurses’ care as either ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
The number of patients surveyed who ‘definitely’ felt involved in their decisions about discharge, as well as their care and treatment, at Muswellbrook Hospital was also higher compared with the rest of NSW.
The 2021-22 budget for HNELHD is $2.5 billion, an increase of $95 million on the previous financial year’s budget.
Between mid-2012 and mid-2021, HNELHD increased its workforce by an additional 1,633 full-time equivalent staff – an increase of 15.5 per cent including 400 more doctors, 905 more nurses and midwives and 156 more allied health staff.