PATIENTS have spoken out about their experiences with health professionals while in hospital and after discharge.
And the Hunter New England region is an outlier in several areas identified as drivers of readmission to hospital.
The number of patients who felt they were not given enough information, and those who said they weren't given explanations they could easily understand dropped from 87 per cent and 82 per cent to 81 and 76 respectively.
The Hunter New England Local Health District was also among those where patients didn't feel health professionals were 'definitely' open with them about problems during, or shortly after their stay in hospital.
In 2018, just over half the survey respondents said they felt health care professionals in the region were open with them about any problems, or 55 per cent, which dropped to less than one in three (31 per cent) in 2023.
Those who said they were given enough information about how to manage their care at home dropped from 75 per cent in 2018, to 69 per cent in 2023.
But they were complimentary about the food.
The details are contained in the latest Bureau of Health Information report which examines patients' experiences of safety culture in NSW public hospitals over time.
BHI Chief Executive Dr Diane Watson said it is based on the feedback of more than 115,000 patients in NSW public hospitals who completed a survey about their experiences between 2018 and 2023.
"Research clearly shows the link between patient experience and clinical safety, including objectively measured health outcomes such as unplanned readmissions to hospital," Dr Watson said.
A Hunter New England Local Health District spokesperson said the report spanned a period when the challenges of COVID-19 were felt acutely across many of the region's facilities.
"Measures taken to safeguard our community, such as visitor restrictions, may have impacted patient experiences, but safety and care have always remained our top priority," a statement said.
In 2023, adult patients across the district reported positive experiences of care, with more than nine in 10 patients (91 per cent) rating the care they received in hospital as "very good" (69 per cent) or "good" (22 per cent).
In other results, 77 per cent of patients said the care and treatment they received "definitely" helped them, 77 per cent of patients said they "would speak highly" about their experience, and 88 per cent of patients said they were "always" treated with respect and dignity
"While the results of the survey indicate that our hospitals and staff continue to provide high-quality care and treatment, we acknowledge that some questions show there is room for improvement to enhance the overall patient experience and the communication provided to patients and their carers."
Dr Watson said that where the report showed where patients' experiences declined over time, including highlighting those local health districts where ratings of care decreased, that information was very valuable.
"These evidence-based insights can be used by health system managers, alongside other clinical measures, to inform improvement efforts that address patient experiences related to safety risk in NSW hospitals," Dr Watson said.
BHI has also released the latest results of the Outpatient Cancer Clinics Survey, reflecting feedback from almost 10,000 patients.
It shows that most patients were positive about the information they received when diagnosed, and the level of their involvement in decision-making about treatment.
However, they were less positive about the journey of care in other areas.
Around one-third of patients (35 per cent) experienced a loss of income or other financial burden, including out-of-pocket medical costs.
Of those, 63 per cent that had a medium impact on them, but one in five (20 per cent) said the financial burden had a high impact.
Almost one-third of patients surveyed (31 per cent) said they weren't given information about relevant support programs such as counselling, financial and mental health.
