Hunter emergency department staff rate well in Bureau of Health Information survey

The ratings were revealed in a Bureau of Health Information survey, released on Wednesday, May 3, that included 3552 people from the Hunter-New England district.

Of these, 63 per cent rated emergency department staff who treated them as "very good".

A further 25 per cent of respondents rated the staff as "good".

Only two per cent said the staff were "very poor", while four per cent gave them a "poor" rating.

The high ratings come amid widespread reports of swamped emergency departments, waits for treatment, staff shortages and a lack of resources in public hospitals.

Bureau of Health chief executive, Diane Watson said the survey was done "when health services and staff were managing the Delta and Omicron waves" in 2021-22.

"This included additional preventative measures to ensure the safety of staff and patients, which may have affected experiences of care," Dr Watson said.

Kurri Kurri Hospital scored the highest mark in the Hunter, with 80 per cent of respondents rating emergency department health professionals as "very good", while a further 13 per cent gave a "good" rating.

At Cessnock Hospital, 52 per cent said the emergency staff were "very good", while 30 per said they were "good".

Maitland Hospital's ratings were 58 per cent "very good" and 25 per cent "good".

At John Hunter Hospital, the ratings were 68 per cent "very good" and 25 per cent "good".

Across the health district, 86 per cent of respondents felt they were "always" treated with "respect and dignity" in the emergency departments.

The Newcastle Herald reported in February that none of the Hunter's emergency departments received a clean bill of health in Australian Medical Association ratings.

The report, part of the AMA's "Clear the Logjam" campaign, said four out of five people in the Hunter waited longer than they should for treatment at emergency departments.

AMA NSW president, Michael Bonning said the bureau's new survey showed staff go "above and beyond".

"Even in a circumstance where there's understaffing, everyone does their best," Dr Bonning said.

"Sometimes that's just to make people smile at a tough time in their life."

Dr Bonning said patients want "someone who cares and is competent".

"Across the board, that is what they get in NSW and Australia generally," he said.

"They get someone who takes them seriously and walks through things with them."

He said people were generally "incredibly thankful" for the help they get in emergency departments.

"And yes, they've probably become a bit conditioned to the idea that our public hospital systems are under pressure.

"Because of that, they understand they may have to wait some period of time. I suspect the survey decided not to take into account people who left before being treated."

He said the survey might not be a "perfect representation of people's experiences in emergency departments".

"But you can't fake the fact that a large number of people they talked to [in the survey] said 'actually, my experience here was pretty good'.

"You can write surveys however you want and I'm sure they don't capture everyone, but the people they do capture are really thankful for the service and I can absolutely understand that."

Dr Bonning said there are days when hospital staff aren't sure if people in ICU or surgery are "going to do well or die".

"And yet, their family and even themselves are incredibly thankful for what the staff do."

If the health professionals weren't there, there'd be "no one to help them".

"That part of the system has always been respected by the public."

Nevertheless, he said "violence and aggression" does happen in emergency departments, often when people are "incredibly scared and upset when seriously ill or injured or their family member is".

"It's something our doctors and healthcare colleagues tell us about all the time.

"We can never condone that, but we can empathise at times with people who are having incredibly bad experiences."

Dr Bonning spoke with Maitland Hospital emergency physicians last week.

"They're under a lot of pressure, but they bring incredible professionalism," he said, while including nurses, allied health, administration and triage staff.

"Even if on the inside they're burning out, they bring the best of themselves to work."

Julie Tait, a general manager at John Hunter Hospital, said: "Hunter New England Local Health District is committed to providing the best possible care to all our patients".

Ms Tait said the district would "continue to improve emergency department-related services".

"John Hunter Hospital outperformed the state average across a number of measures outlined in the survey, which is testament to the team's hard work."

She said the hospital aimed to ensure every patient is "treated with compassion and kindness, feels involved in their care and receives world-class treatment in a clean and welcoming environment".

"The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging period for hospitals across NSW, and John Hunter Hospital was no exception.

"We thank our dedicated staff who continued to provide high quality care for our community despite high demand and staff furloughing."

The Bureau of Health Information also released a report on the pandemic's effects on key aspects of public health system performance from 2020 to 2022.

The report showed the NSW system was "already at or near record levels of activity at the beginning of 2020, before the pandemic".

Dr Watson said health system activity "fluctuated over the course of the pandemic", but was "again experiencing high levels of demand by the end of 2022".

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