Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
3h ago

NSW Report Finds Care Gaps for First Nations Patients as Aboriginal Health Workers Lift Experiences

Findings draw on more than 12,000 patient responses from 2019 to 2024 across NSW hospitals.

First Nations people in Australia have one of the highest per capita burdens of rheumatic heart disease in the world. (AAP Image/Rudi Maxwell)

Overview

  • In 2024, 60% of Indigenous patients rated their hospital care as very good compared with 67% of non‑Indigenous patients.
  • Aboriginal patients were 14% less likely to say their cultural or religious beliefs were always respected and 11% less likely to say clinicians explained things in a way they could understand.
  • Support from Aboriginal health workers correlated with stronger experiences, with four in five patients describing this staff as always kind and caring versus 69% without such support.
  • Among those offered Aboriginal health worker support, 71% said they definitely received enough discharge information, compared with 56% without the support.
  • Access and treatment indicators improved, with 28% reporting they skipped needed hospital care in the past year, down from 36% in 2022, and 6% reporting unfair treatment in 2024, down from 8% in 2023.