Additionally, there was also a slight increase in the number of patients who left the hospital emergency within four hours.

The experiences of almost 27,000 patients who went to a NSW public hospital in 2014, including those who visited Young District Hospital’s emergency department, are captured in the Bureau of Health Information's (BHI) Snapshot Report: Adult Admitted Patient Survey Results 2014 .

The report claims more people in the district are also using emergency services, up from 666 in the April-June quarter of 2013 to 877 for the same period this year. 

Resuscitations are up, as are semi-urgent and emergency patients during the same period. 

That said, time between presentation and treatment has improved across the board for the most part during the same period in 2013 with some times cut by nearly half (110 minutes to 60 minutes).

The BHI recently released two reports indicating that patients within Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) facilities feel positive about the care they receive while in hospital.

The two reports the Snapshot Report and Patient Perspectives: Hospital care for people with cancer – show that hospitals across the district were on par with other hospitals across the state and, in some areas, the results were significantly higher.

Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) operations director Brett Thompson, is pleased with the results and said they show the dedication of MLHD staff.

“We are proud that our hospitals work hard to deliver high quality care to all patients and it is great to see we are above the standard in areas such as timely discharge and care, patients being treated with respect and dignity and our staff were noted as being kind and caring,” he said.

“The survey results reflect the effort and dedication of our staff in putting the patient first to ensure they receive the best health care we can deliver.

“Feedback from our patients helps us to understand what we are doing really well and where we may be able to improve to ensure that every patient’s experience in hospital is as positive as it can be,” Mr Thompson said.

The Patient Perspectives report, developed in conjunction with the Cancer Institute NSW, is the first time a survey has looked at patients with cancer in NSW and also showed positive results for MLHD facilities.

MLHD recognises that chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the Murrumbidgee region is also provided by the Riverina Cancer Care Centre and Hume Regional Integrated Cancer Service, which includes Border Medical Oncology, Albury Wodonga Health and Radiation Oncology Victoria.

“In general the report found people with cancer were also positive about their care,” Mr Thompson said.

“There are a couple of areas for improvement which will be taken into account as we continue to provide care for patients.”

These areas of improvement sit around shared decision-making and carer involvement.

Both reports are based on results from the Adult Admitted Patient Survey, the largest survey of its kind in NSW, which looked at the experiences of over 27,000 patients. 

MLHD facilities included in the survey are Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, Griffith Base Hospital, Tumut Hospital, Young Health Service and Deniliquin Health Service.

But NSW Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord has accused the health minister of cherry picking and selectively quoting data on patient satisfaction in NSW hospitals and emergency departments.

Mr Secord said that NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner must be living in a parallel universe resplendent with unicorns and rainbows.

“With the NSW health and hospital system under enormous pressure, the last thing the government should be doing is issuing report cards congratulating themselves,” Mr Secord said.

“In NSW, patients wait at every stage. They wait for an ambulance. They wait outside hospital to get into the emergency department. They wait for a hospital bed and then they are rushed out of the hospital before they are fully recovered,” he said.

“This data shows what happens when you tear $3 billion out of the health system.”