South Australian sports medicine hospital SPORTSMED is Australia's best private hospital, according to a Medibank Private nationwide survey of patient satisfaction.
Glenferrie Private Hospital in Victoria and Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Redland, Queensland, ranked equal second in the survey while another South Australian private hospital, the Western Hospital, placed third.
Medibank Private's Hospital Experience Survey analysed 21,000 responses covering 144 private hospitals in the largest and most authoritative survey of its type in Australia. The Survey covers every stage of the hospital experience, from pre-admission to discharge and follow-up, with respondents sharing their thoughts on everything from the standard of medical treatment provided to privacy levels, food quality and cleanliness.
Overall, the Survey showed a slight increase in satisfaction with the hospital experience when compared with the 2009 Hospital Experience Survey.
Medibank Private Chief Executive Officer, Bruce Levy, said the Survey results provide an accurate insight into the experience of most private hospital patients.
"The Survey results indicate that, overall, Australians are very satisfied with the standard of care provided in the private health system. This is important because people who take out private health insurance want to know they'll have access to services that suit their individual needs. This Survey shows private hospitals are delivering this.
"We'll now prepare detailed reports for each of our partner hospitals, clearly showing the areas where patients said they were doing well as well as areas where improvements could be made." Mr Levy said.
Survey responses showed high levels of satisfaction with clinical staff, including the standard of care and bedside manner. However staffing levels were less satisfactory with many respondents left unimpressed by the availability of nurses, both during the day and at night. Identifying the roles of hospital staff was also an issue.
Other areas where respondents indicated high levels of satisfaction were the standard of communication from hospital staff, response times for medical and personal needs while in hospital, and pre-admission and admission procedures.
Satisfaction levels were lowest in relation to the discharge experience and post discharge care arrangements. Respondents reported consistently lower levels of satisfaction with the advice and arrangements hospitals provided and the notice they were given prior to discharge, including the low level of communication between hospitals and doctors.
Another area the Survey indicated patients want more is the physical comforts in hospital. While respondents were happy with the cleanliness and privacy of rooms and bathrooms, the availability and quality of food received much lower levels of satisfaction.
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