NSW public hospitals ranked: Survey reveals worst performers in western Sydney

The worst-performing hospital emergency departments in NSW have been named and shamed in a Bureau of Health Information survey, with all the failing facilities having one thing in common.

• Farmers can’t get fruit pickers amid pandemic lockdown
• How much you save with stamp duty cut and where to buy

Health Minister Brad Hazzard has defended the state of hospitals in Sydney’s west, after a damning survey found five western Sydney hospitals provided a lower level of care than the state’s average.

Mr Hazzard said the survey, revealed by The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, records how satisfied people are during the “challenging” time of visiting an emergency department.

“Experiences vary from hospital to hospital in various areas at various times, but the overall message is the NSW government is spending more money on new infrastructure and new staff than ever before,” he said.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard says the study results are good news. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

The Bureau of Health Information survey found five hospitals where the overall care result was notably worse than the average — all of them in Sydney’s west.

Less than half of the patients surveyed at some western Sydney hospitals thought the emergency department treatment area was “very clean”, while western Sydney patients rated their care significantly less favourably than the rest of NSW.

The worrying findings were revealed in a damning survey of more than 18,000 NSW emergency department patients in 2018-19.

Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital was named as the worst for overall care. Picture: Bill Hearne

MORE NEWS

Beijing hits out over Australia’s South China Sea claims

How the bush can thrive in a post-COVID world

Labor dumps branches after bombshell stacking probe

The worst performing hospital on overall care was Bankstown-Lidcombe, where only 44 per cent of respondents rated their experience “very good”.

That figure was just 46 per cent for Liverpool, Westmead, and Blacktown. At Nepean, it was only 48 per cent.

Western Sydney hospital patients had a worse experience with everything from finding parking, through to treatment and care, and even leaving the emergency department.

Only a quarter of people surveyed at Liverpool Hospital had “no problem” with parking, compared with 68 per cent at Royal North Shore.

Less than half of Blacktown patients thought the emergency treatment area was “very clean” while at Westmead, less than half of people “definitely” felt involved in decisions about the discharge process.

Blacktown Hospital was one of two to get the most negative feedback. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Blacktown and Westmead Hospitals received the most negative feedback, with the two hospitals recording “significantly less favourable” results on 20 different measures.

“Time and time again this government is letting down Western Sydney,” Labor health spokesman Ryan Park said.

“People in Western Sydney are sick of being treated like second class citizens.”

The patient experience is in stark contrast to other parts of Sydney, where care is rated far higher. At Royal North Shore, 64 per cent of people rated their overall care as “very good” and a massive 79 per cent of people would speak highly of the experience to their friends.

Less than half of patients at Westmead Hospital feel involved in the discharge process.

The St Leonards hospital rated better than the rest of the state in seven areas.

The survey results come after a negative report card from doctors during a parliamentary inquiry into healthcare in the southwest.

A NSW Health spokeswoman said the hospitals were working to improve patient experience, and significant changes have been implemented at Blacktown in the months after the survey.

The statement said Western Sydney gets over a quarter of the state‘s Local Health Districts budget.