Survey reveals Dubbo Hospital cancer patient sentiment

The experiences of more than 8000 patients who attended one of 43 NSW facilities housing outpatient cancer clinics in January 2023 were documented in the Outpatient Cancer Clinics Survey 2023.

In Dubbo, 84 per cent of cancer patients rated their overall care as "very good" and 13 per cent said it was "good".

This was slightly lower than the overall Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) result, with 88 per cent of patients in the district saying their treatment was "very good".

91 per cent of patients at both Orange and Bathurst hospitals rated their care as "very good".

Compared to previous years, the proportion of Dubbo patients who rated their care very good has dropped. In 2018, 89 per cent rated their treatment as very good and the proportion has slowly dropped since then.

However, WNSWLHD Director of Cancer Services and Innovation, Dr Ruth Jones, said the results are a testament to the hard work of staff.

"Receiving cancer treatment is extremely stressful for patients and their loved ones, and our staff work tirelessly to not just deliver the best care possible but to ensure patients are respected, informed and engaged throughout their treatment journey," Dr Jones said.

"I'm incredibly proud of the work our teams across the District's cancer care network have done and continue to do every single day, so I'm thrilled to see our staff and our services rated so favourably by patients."

90 per cent of patients said they "had trust or confidence" in the health professionals at Dubbo hospital who treated them, slightly higher than Bathurst at 88 per cent and slightly lower than Orange at 92 per cent.

A smaller proportion of patients (8 per cent) reported having complications after treatment at Dubbo hospital compared to 9 per cent at Bathurst and 13 per cent at Orange.

Dubbo hospital had the lowest rate of complications of all similar sized hospitals across NSW.

Waiting rooms and treatment areas at Dubbo Hospital also rated higher than Bathurst and Orange in terms of comfort. 76 per cent of patients rated Dubbo's treatment area as "very comfortable" compared to 74 per cent in Bathurst and 63 per cent in Orange.

73 per cent rated waiting area as "very comfortable" compared to 61 per cent in Bathurst and 42 per cent in Orange

"These results are proof of our staff's ongoing commitment and focus to not just provide safe, high-quality care, but also to continue improving services and access to those services for people living with cancer across Western NSW," Dr Jones said.

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