MLHD weighs in on Bureau of Health Information (BHI) report

It comes after Griffith's Multicultural Council president, Carmel la Rocca, raised concerns over feedback she has received from migrants in the city, indicating their experiences were problematic.

According to the MLHD a local working party has been established to further improve care for members of Griffith's multicultural community.

A spokesperson said interpreter services are also used to help linguistically diverse patients understand the information they receive, with those given an interpreter providing higher ratings of the way health professionals explained things.

"Griffith Base Hospital utilises the NSW Health Care Interpreting Services to provide access to professional interpreting services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in person or via telephone in over 120 languages, including Auslan.

"Murrumbidgee Local Health District is committed to ensuring people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have equitable access to health care services that are culturally responsive, safe and high quality."

READ MORE

They said the report shows overall improvements in linguistically diverse patients' ratings of care since 2020 across the state.

"In 2022, more than eight in ten surveyed patients (88 per cent) admitted to NSW public hospitals, who mainly speak a language other than English at home, reported that healthcare staff were 'always' kind and caring towards them, a higher proportion compared with surveyed patients who mainly speak English (85 per cent).

"Further, almost nine in ten surveyed patients (89 per cent) admitted to NSW public hospitals who mainly speak a language other than English at home said their cultural or religious beliefs were always respected.

"A similarly high proportion of patients also reported that the care and treatment they received 'definitely' helped them," the spokesperson said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: