Free wellbeing program to support chronic conditions in Melbourne
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Residents in Melbourne’s eastern and northeastern suburbs now have access to a free health and wellbeing service under a new partnership with Silverchain.
The Right Care Better Health program is a care coordination service for patients with certain complex and chronic conditions such as respiratory, cardiovascular, or frailty. The new partnership between Silverchain and Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (EMPHN) extends this care navigation service to the northern part of the EMPHN catchment area, including GPs in the City of Whittlesea and some suburbs of the shires of Murrindindi and Mitchell.
The service, which connects community-based nursing with GP care, was first offered in 2020 to residents in the eastern part of the EMPHN catchment. The extended program is led by Silverchain nurse care coordinators who collaborate closely with GPs to identify eligible patients and then deliver tailored in-home support for managing chronic conditions.
Silverchain’s Executive Director, East Coast Tamra Bridges, said the service was designed to make it as easy as possible for clients to access the help they need. “We want our community to be in a better position to manage their health and wellbeing in a way that improves their quality of life and reduces their risk of ending up in hospital,” Ms. Bridges said. “People with complex health conditions can often be at greater risk of receiving fragmented care. Through the Right Care Better Health program, we can help our clients receive the wrap-around service they need by tailoring care to their particular health conditions.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for clients to access the help they need and avoid unnecessary health complications that can result in having to be admitted to hospital. All too often, people’s health conditions can spiral downward simply because of problems with navigating the care system, particularly in after-hours situations. Together with this EMPHN program, we can help avoid these scenarios.”
Through Right Care Better Health, Silverchain also ensures clients are connected to the care and services identified in their plan. This includes providing advice and information on managing health conditions, help with booking appointments with healthcare providers, finding solutions for long wait times for services, sharing consensual information with other care providers, and help with referrals.
In addition to regular health and wellbeing check-ups, other personal support services include finding transport to appointments, keeping in contact with family members, explaining medical language and test results, help with navigating the aged care system, filling prescriptions, providing education and advice to help achieve goals, and finding more social and funding support.
Bridges said Silverchain had so far helped more than 1,700 people across four states through its PHN-funded care coordination services. “In Victoria, 60 percent of our clients have been over the age of 65, which highlights the importance of care coordination services such as EMPHN’s Right Care Better Health in alleviating pressure on the health system by decreasing hospital admissions and the length of hospital stays,” Bridges said.
Right Care Better Health is funded by EMPHN through the Australian Government’s PHN Program. Silverchain provides care coordination support services through PHN programs in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia.
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
