This report provides insights into Aboriginal people’s experiences in New South Wales (NSW) public hospitals between 2019 and 2024 in areas critical to the delivery of high quality care. The report also includes results comparing Aboriginal patients’ experiences in urban and larger rural hospitals, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients’ experiences, factors contributing to positive overall hospital experiences for Aboriginal people and the positive impact of Aboriginal health workers.

The patient experience measures in this report cover themes including overall satisfaction and outcomes; accessing care; compassion, respect and kindness; involvement in decision-making; effective communication; timely and coordinated care; and discharge planning. Each of these themes aligns with high priority areas of healthcare delivery set out in NSW Health policy documents.

Key findings

• Aboriginal patients continued to report significantly less positive experiences than non-Aboriginal patients for most survey questions.
• More than one-quarter of Aboriginal patients (28%) said that in the past 12 months, there was a time when they needed to go to hospital but didn’t.
• In 2024, 6% of patients said they felt unfairly treated during their hospital stay because they were an Aboriginal person, an improvement from 10% in 2022.
• Aboriginal patients admitted to rural hospitals reported more positive experiences than Aboriginal patients admitted to urban hospitals for many measures.
• Aboriginal patients’ hospital care experiences were significantly more positive when they had the support of an Aboriginal health worker.