This report explores the relationship between patient experience and socioeconomic disadvantage in NSW, showing that social determinants can present a major barrier to health access, experience and outcomes. The report focuses on patient experiences with GP, medical specialist, dental professional and emergency services and reveals a decline in patient experience, particularly in regional areas. Cost is emerging as a significant barrier to accessing healthcare.

This research builds on previous studies to show how different cohorts of the population living in different locations experience health care; it also looks at the relationship between emergency department visits and GP care, long-term conditions and private health insurance cover.

Key findings

• Patient experience has declined in NSW since 2020.
• Poorer patient experience is not as strongly linked with economic disadvantage as it has been in the past, but is more consistently linked with regional disadvantage. 
• The proportion of people delaying or forgoing healthcare visits due to cost has risen alarmingly across all income levels. 
• Certain groups, including single parents, families, older adults, and those on low incomes or unemployed, experience significantly poorer patient experiences. 
• People aged 15-24 in regional areas have experienced the most significant decline in healthcare experiences.