The project establishes an ongoing Tele-geriatric service for the ageing population within the Central West Hospital and Health Service (CWHHS) without the clients having to travel too far from home.
Tele-geriatric Inpatient and Outpatient Service
Initiative Type
Model of Care
Status
Sustained
Added
Last updated
Summary
Key dates
Oct 2017
Jun 2018
Implementation sites
Central West HHS - Longreach Hospital, Metro South HHS – Princess Alexandra Hospital
Partnerships
Telehealth Support Unit, Healthcare Improvement Unit, Clinical Excellence Queensland
Aim
To provide access to a Specialist Geriatrician from the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) and support locally by the CWHHS Clinical Nurse (CN).
Benefits
- Timely access to a specialist assessment by Geriatrician without having to travel to the tertiary facilities.
- Future planning to help minimise functional decline and helping maintain independence as they age by supporting their physical, medical, psychological, cultural and social needs thus improving their quality of life.
- Education provided to families and carers, increasing their knowledge on progression or trajectory of the client’s health, and also where they can find further information and support.
- The clinical staff such as General Practitioners (GP’s), nursing and allied health are supported with prompt feedback in form of specialist letters outlining plan following consultation which has provided greater satisfaction and sense of achievement but importantly clinical outcomes have significantly benefited all clients and their families.
Background
The Central West region covers an area of 396,650 square kilometres, which is 23 per cent of the land mass of Queensland. This includes five major facilities and ten Primary Health Clinics. The CWHHS profile in comparison to the rest of Queensland is below the state average and the region is also classified as a socioeconomically disadvantaged area. Challenges within the CWHHS included the remoteness and distances between locations. The aging population is a critical factor affecting the HHS population and impacting on service provision and accessibility. An additional burden is placed on the CWHHS during April to September with an annual influx of traveling tourists; many of whom are elderly with health problems and co-morbidities.
