Hospitals rated by Hunter patients in the Bureau of Health Information (BHI) survey

The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) has released survey results reflecting the experiences of more than 17,000 patients who were admitted to 77 NSW public hospitals in 2018.

In Hunter New England, about 96 per cent of respondents in the Adult Admitted Patient Survey said the care they had received in hospital was good, or very good.

Of 3011 respondents, 88 per cent said they "always" had confidence and trust in the treating nurses, and 10 per cent said "sometimes".

About 84 per cent of 3023 respondents said they had confidence and trust in the region's doctors, 14 per cent said "sometimes" and 3 per cent said they did not.

At John Hunter Hospital, 94 per cent of patients who completed the survey rated their experience as good, or very good. About 95 per cent of patients rated the hospital's doctors as good or very good.

Of 328 respondents, 86 per cent said doctors were "always" kind and caring towards patients.

The survey showed 97 per cent of patients rated John Hunter Hospital's nurses as good, or very good, and found 88 per cent of nurses were "always" kind and caring towards patients.

About 85 per cent of patients said they felt they were "always" treated with respect at the John Hunter Hospital.

Of 299 respondents, 23 per cent of patients rated the hospital's food as "poor",10 per cent said it was "very poor", and 50 per cent rated it as "neither good nor poor". Of 76 respondents, 15 per cent the hospital food was not suitable for their dietary needs. The survey found that about 19 per cent of 344 respondents experienced a complication during or shortly after their hospital stay at the John Hunter, and 30 per cent of 60 survey respondents said they suffered "very serious" complications, and 45 per cent said their complications were "fairly serious".

BHI Chief Executive, Dr Diane Watson, said most patients in NSW provided positive ratings of their experiences of care in the Adult Admitted Patient Survey.

Across NSW, 76 per cent of patients rated their nurses, and 72 per cent rated their doctors, as "very good".

"Overall, almost all patients (94 per cent) rated their care as very good or good," Dr Watson said. "About eight in 10 patients said they would speak highly of the care they received."

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