ALMOST nine in 10 patients have rated their experiences in Hunter New England emergency departments (EDs) as "good" or "very good".
Close to 21,000 people admitted to large EDs in NSW in 2020-21 participated in the Bureau of Health Information's latest patient survey.
It found that across Hunter New England, 89 per cent of ED patients said they had received "good" or "very good" overall care, and 85 per cent felt they had been treated with dignity and respect.
Most had found the ED health professionals to be kind and caring, but more than a quarter of respondents felt that staff had not discussed their worries and fears with them.
At Maitland Hospital, 26 per cent of survey participants thought ED staff had not done enough to manage their pain.
At John Hunter Hospital, 33 per cent said they would have liked ED staff to check on their condition while they waited, and 58 per cent were not told how long they'd have to wait for their treatment.
