Health Minister Ryan Park has paid tribute to paramedics and emergency call-takers after NSW Ambulance achieved the highest patient satisfaction rating of any ambulance service in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, according to the 2024 Council of Ambulance Authorities annual Patient Experience Survey.
Almost all patients surveyed (99 per cent) rated their overall satisfaction as ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied.’
Of the more than 700 patients in NSW surveyed, nearly all respondents (98 per cent) said the care provided by paramedics was either ‘very good’ or ‘good’. No respondent said they were dissatisfied with the treatment they received by NSW Ambulance.
The assistance provided by NSW Ambulance emergency medical call takers was also rated highly, with 94 per cent of people surveyed describing them as ’very helpful and reassuring’ or ’helpful and reassuring’.
The 2024 results are also an improvement from last year’s survey, which indicated 97 per cent overall satisfaction.
In 2023, NSW Ambulance responded to more than 1.4 million emergencies, with a daily average of one response every 22 seconds.
NSW Ambulance paramedics, doctors, nurses, emergency medical call takers and dispatchers continue to provide outstanding care to the community despite record demand for ambulance services.
An additional 2,500 ambulance staff are headed across NSW as part of the $1.76 billion Strategic Workforce and Infrastructure Team (SWIFT) program, including 500 paramedics to rural and regional areas, to boost emergency and mobile healthcare for our metropolitan and regional communities.
The SWIFT program is also delivering 30 new ambulance stations to help save lives and provide critical emergency care across NSW.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health, Ryan Park:
“These results show strong community satisfaction with our ambulance services.
“This is a real testament to our hard working paramedics and emergency call takers, who deliver the utmost professionalism in challenging circumstances.”
Quotes attributable to NSW Ambulance Chief Executive Dr Dominic Morgan:
“NSW Ambulance staff always strive to provide our community with world-class pre-hospital emergency care and I am very pleased to see these results, which reflect the dedication of our staff to always treat patients in a kind and caring manner.
“Our emergency medical call takers and paramedics provide high-quality care to our community and it is wonderful to see our patients rating their experience with NSW Ambulance so highly, particularly during a period of unprecedented demand for emergency medical services.”