NURSES in Tamworth are among the state's mostly highly rated, according to a new patient survey released today.
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The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) has published the findings from its annual study on public health patients.
And it included a sparkling review of the work of Tamworth hospital's nurses.
The survey found 85 per cent of Tamworth patients rated the nurses as very good.
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This was much higher than the state average (76 per cent), the Hunter New England health district average (82 per cent) and the average among similarly sized hospitals (77 per cent).
There were only two hospitals in the Hunter New England health district whose nurses rated better: Gunnedah (87 per cent) and Kurri Kurri (92 per cent).
The Tamworth nurses even beat their rating from last year's survey (82 per cent).
They also rated higher than their doctor colleagues with 74 per cent of patients rating their treatment as very good.
This was somewhat greater than the state average for doctors (72 per cent) and slightly behind the Hunter New England mean (75 per cent).
BHI chief executive Diane Watson said the survey showed most patients had a largely positive experience in care.
"Overall, almost all patients (94 per cent) rated their care as very good or good," Dr Watson said.
"About eight in 10 patients (79 per cent) told us they would speak highly of the care they received during their hospital stay if asked by friends and family."
The BHI highlighted some areas for improvement mainly discharge and information around treatment.
Dr Watson said these were critical points in care for patients and medical professionals.
"Just two-thirds of patients (66 per cent) said they definitely felt involved in decisions about their discharge while about seven in 10 patients (73 per cent) felt they were given enough information to manage their care at home," Dr Watson said.