Patients presenting to Orange Hospital's emergency department reported a better experience in terms of care provided and the performance of healthcare staff, new data from the Bureau of Health Information reveals.
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Based on almost 250 responses from patients who presented between July 2019 and June 2020, Orange's emergency department rated significantly better in those categories and several others compared to the previous 12 months.
The results of the state-wide survey revealed 67 per cent of patients rated the level of care provided 'very good', while 74 per cent of those asked gave the same response when asked to assess the healthcare professionals treating them.
Both those results increased slightly from the previous year, while the percentage of patients rating healthcare professionals' ability to work together during treatment as 'very good' increased by a full eight percentage points, to 67.
On Thursday morning Western NSW LHD confirmed it is pleased with the results from the BHI survey, both in terms of the responses from patients who presented at Orange Hospital and the entire region's emergency departments.
The survey captured responses from more than 1,300 patients across the Central West, in areas like Bathurst, Dubbo, Forbes, Cowra and Lithgow along with Orange.
The survey, one of many reports the BHI releases each year, showed similarly positive results across the entire district, however a key focus of the study is to identify areas in which healthcare staff can improve.
Orange's emergency department showed notable declines in only two areas.
When given X-rays, tests or other scans, the percentage of patients who answered 'yes, always' when asked if staff discussed the purpose of them dropped by five points.
The same decline was noted among patients who answered 'yes, completely' when asked if those X-rays, scans or tests were explained in an understandable way.
However there was still 86 per cent of people who answered the former question positively and 77 per cent who did so for the latter. Despite the declines, those results were still equal to or above the NSW average.
The most recent survey period included the emergence of COVID-19, which resulted in significant changes in how services were delivered, including the establishment of dedicated testing clinics and increased use of personal protective equipment in hospitals.
Previous BHI data has also shown there was fewer attendances at emergency departments during 2020, including Orange's.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
