Results of NSW Public Hospital Patient Survey

By Petrina Smith
Wednesday, 12 November, 2014

The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) has reported the results of a patient survey involving more than 35,000 patients about their experience of care in NSW public hospitals during 2013.

BHI Chief Executive, Dr Jean-Frederic Levesque, said the patient survey gathered information about patients’ experience of care at 80 NSW public hospitals.

“BHI’s Snapshot Report shows that most patients were positive about their overall experience of care with 64% of patients rating it as ‘very good’ and 27% as ‘good’,” Dr Levesque said. “Patients tended to rate well their interactions with hospital staff, including being treated with kindness and respect, and the information they were given about their treatment.

“Levels of satisfaction were lower for questions about how well staff assisted and were responsive to patients’ individual needs.”

Other results from the NSW Patient Survey Program include:

77% of patients would speak highly of their hospital experience

86% of patients reported they were ‘always’ treated with respect and dignity

Around three-quarters reported they ‘always’ got answers they could understand when they had important questions for a doctor (74%) or a nurse (75%)

42% of patients who needed assistance generally said this help was available within a reasonable timeframe ‘all of the time’

71% of patients thought the total time they waited to be admitted to hospital was ‘about right’

54% of patients rated the way the doctors and nurses worked together as ‘very good’

47% of patients rated the hospital food as ‘good’ and 17% rated the food as ‘very good’

44% of patients who needed help eating reported they ‘always’ received enough

Among the 30% of patients who said they needed an interpreter, 38% said that one was ‘always’ provided

92% of patients said they felt well enough to leave hospital at the time of discharge, although 28% said they felt hospital staff did not fully take their family or home situation into account when planning their discharge.

BHI sent the survey to more than 73,000 patients who were admitted to a NSW public hospital during 2013. The survey contained 90 questions asking patients about hospital performance. It received widespread support with 49% of patients providing feedback.

Other surveys from the NSW Patient Survey Program currently underway include admitted children and young people, emergency department patients and outpatients.

Detailed patient survey results and results for individual NSW public hospitals are available at BHI’s interactive online reporting tool Healthcare Observer at www.bhi.nsw.gov.au/healthcare_observer