BY SAMUEL BARTLETT
Singleton and Belmont Hospitals have stood out as top performers in NSW, according to the Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Adult Admitted Patient Survey.
The survey looked at the experience of over 4,165 people admitted to a hospital in the Hunter New England region in 2019 and the experiences of 21,900 admitted across 75 public hospitals in NSW.
Both hospitals excelled in areas such as offering patients opportunity to talk with their doctor or nurse and having things explained to them in a way that is easy to understand.
Cleanliness, interactions with staff and experience upon discharge were also key areas in which Singleton and Belmont provided excellence.
The district introduced Patient Experience Officers at 10 Emergency Departments, including Belmont, as part of the $8.6 million state-wide expansion.
Overall, Hunter New England Health Performed very strongly compared to other local districts, in line or above the state average of all but one of 87 measures included in the survey.
There was a slight downfall across the region in patient wait times when it came to seeing a specialist.
An average of 67% of patients in the Hunter New England Health District were seen by a specialist within 4 weeks compared to 70% across NSW. Less than half of patients in the HNEHD believed the wait time was justified.
Nurses and Midwives from Belmont Hospital protested on Wednesday afternoon in opposition of the NSW Governments public sector wage freeze.
