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May 10, 2021Senior Doctor Pulse Check
May 28, 2021AMA (NSW) welcomes the Bureau of Health Information’s latest Emergency Department Patient Survey which overall shows an improvement in patient experiences across NSW in 2019-20.
“To come out with even higher scores than the previous year at a time when the system was dealing with all the unknowns from the pandemic is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the hard work and willingness of health care professionals to step up during a very uncertain time,” said AMA (NSW) President, Dr Danielle McMullen.
“However, we note that while the results from the latest Emergency Department Patient Survey are generally very positive, they do show some significant gaps in performance in Western Sydney and South Western Sydney,” Dr McMullen added.
“We have known about some of the resourcing issues that contribute to poorer patient experiences in hospitals such as Blacktown and have been working with the Local Health District and the Medical Staff Councils to address these concerns.
“It is important that there is an ongoing commitment from the LHD to engage with medical practitioners and provide sufficient resources to provide high quality care to patients.
“We call upon the NSW Government and the Commonwealth Government to ensure appropriate resources are allocated for LHDs, including adequate workforce planning for all hospitals, particularly new facilities in high growth areas.
“Emergency department presentations have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels and these issues are not going to away without significant changes which includes additional staffing and a recognition of the socio-economic issues facing many communities.
“We can’t keep building new facilities and dropping the ball when it comes to resourcing,” Dr McMullen said.
Media Contact: Andrea Cornish
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