An aged care program credited with preventing thousands of unnecessary hospital visits in the Illawarra region is being expanded to cover aged care homes in the Shoalhaven.
The Aged Care Outreach Service provides in-home clinical support to residents, aiming to ease pressure on busy hospital emergency departments by treating people in the comfort and familiarity of their own residence. The service has already commenced in seven Shoalhaven facilities and is set to roll out to all 14 in the region by the end of the year.
The program works by linking residents with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, including nurses, nurse practitioners, and a geriatrician, following a referral from their aged care home or NSW Ambulance. This allows for timely assessment and treatment of certain conditions without needing a trip to the hospital.
Over the past two years in the Illawarra, the service has proven highly effective, receiving nearly 4,000 referrals and successfully enabling more than 3,380 patients to be cared for in their homes.
“It builds on the tremendous results in Illawarra where 85 per cent of older people seen by the program were able to receive the care they needed at home, without having to attend a hospital emergency department via ambulance,” said Minister for Health Ryan Park.
Park added that the model benefits both the health system and the residents themselves.
“The Minns Labor Government is committed to making it easier for people to access the care they need and deserve,” Park said. “This model not only provides faster care to people in living in aged care, but also helps maintain their independence and wellbeing by enabling them to remain in an environment that is more comfortable and familiar.”
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
