ST JOHN NT
NEWSROOM

Are Territorians satisfied with the level of care experienced when accessing local ambulance services? 96% say yes.

An annual Patient Experience Survey conducted and released by the Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA) shows that patient satisfaction rates among Territorians sits at 96% with most patients surveyed finding their experience dealing with St John NT to be positive overall.

Director of Ambulance Services, Andrew Thomas stated that the report findings were testament of the commitment and dedication staff invested in the ambulance service.

“Operating during a pandemic has proved to be a uniquely challenging experience for ambulance services globally. The survey results demonstrate that despite these unprecedented times ambulance services, from the Triple Zero (000) call taker to the paramedics on scene or transporting a patient to hospital, continue to provide the highest standard of care,” Mr Thomas said.

“Survey respondents found the assistance provided by our call takers to be helpful and reassuring, patients shared that they have a high level of trust and confidence in the quality of care and treatment they are being provided.”

NT respondents to the 2022 survey indicated:

• 92% found the assistance provided by the Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) when they called Triple Zero (000) was helpful.
• 95.6% regarded the provision of care they received as “very good”, 2.9% regarded the provision of care as “good” – the highest proportion out of any other Australian ambulance service
• 93% trusted and were confident in the level of care provided by paramedics and Patient Transport Officers, 80.1% of respondents had a very high level of confidence, again the highest performing service.
• 97% felt that the explanation they received from the paramedic they were treated by was clear, 75.6% found it a very clear and thorough explanation

The Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA) represents 11 statutory ambulance services across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The Patient Experience Survey has been conducted annually since 2002 in Australia. The 2022 report shows the overall satisfaction nationally remained positive with the NET satisfaction remaining a consistent 96% compared to 2021. Just 2% of patients surveyed in Australia being dissatisfied.

Those surveyed included patients transported by ambulance services for emergency and urgent categories. Patients or their carer were asked to rank their satisfaction with their local ambulance services and treatment received in a range of areas including overall satisfaction, call answering time and paramedic treatment.

The information provided from the survey allows ambulance services to better understand the recent experiences of treatment and care provided from the patient’s perspective and identify aspects of service delivery that could be improved.

“Our patients are our number one priority, these results demonstrate how our staff strive to provide the highest standard of care possible for all Territorians,” Mr Thomas said.

The full report is available on the St John NT website.