The statement was made following alarming reports published in the national media over the weekend following incidents which resulted in the death of loved ones and unchecked results.

Under-resourcing, lack of doctors and systemic failures were all placed into the spotlight with The Sydney Morning Herald reporting thousands of test results were never followed up, leading to wrong medicines prescribed, missed broken bones and the death of a baby girl.

A spokesperson from the Western NSW Local Health District said new procedures were place, with improvements noted by patients being cared for at the hospital in the past year.

"At Dubbo Health Service, the percentage of patients who rated their overall inpatient care as 'very good' has improved significantly between 2014 and 2018, up from 61 per cent to 74 per cent," they said.

"Results also indicated that enhanced engagement between staff and patients could help ensure patients have a better understanding of their care, and improve patient safety, communication and the overall care experience across the WNSWLHD.

"In response to this feedback, the district has introduced a new approach to clinical handovers which now occur with the involvement of the patient, as well as their carer when appropriate."

The spokesperson said all health services had their challenges and what was important was the recognition of the failures or deficiencies that are recognised and acted upon at the time and after the incident.

"That is why we undertake activities like root cause analysis (RCA) to best understand where errors or issues have arisen, meaning we can take appropriate actions to address these and reduce the likelihood of them occurring again.

"The RCA in this instance identified that electronic medical record systems for diagnostic reports were not being used appropriately.

"We have taken on board the learnings from this process and have implemented measures to ensure that results are appropriately checked.

"The process of 'open disclosure' is a core feature of communicating with families and loved ones and is offered, wherever it's appropriate and possible to do so.

"We have also introduced the "Speaking Up for Safety" program in our District which encourages everyone in our teams to be an advocate for patient safety.

"We have also introduced the REACH program which allows families concerned about whether there is an unexplained deterioration of their loved one to request a review," they said.

A 2019 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AHIW) Rural And Remote Health report showed that the rate of potentially avoidable death increases from 94 per 100,000 people in the major cities to 129 in regional areas.

It shows that people living in rural and remote areas have higher rates of hospitalisations, disease, mortality, injury and poorer access to, and use of, health services, compared with those living in metropolitan areas.

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