Introducing More Services On QLD's Doorstep!

Australian Ageing Agenda

Introducing more services on QLD's doorstep!

Older people living independently in their own home throughout South-East Queensland will be able to reap the benefits of having a new community healthcare organisation at their doorstep.

The new not-for-profit, YourLife, launched by the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) of South Australia this week, will specialise in providing hospital care in the home, post-hospital visits, palliative care and wound care services to both government-funded and fee-for-service clients.

It employs local highly skilled registered and enrolled nurses, allied health professionals, care workers, and health educators.

State manager of Queensland, Tracey Silvester, explained that new organisation was established to respond to the unmet demand for in-community health services in the surrounding area.

“People want to live at home independently for as long as possible and we can help them achieve that,” Ms Silvester said.

“In addition, there is a growing realisation that in-community health services can reduce unplanned hospitalisation, eases the burden on aged care facilities and save governments dollars.

Although the organisation only just launched, Ms Silvester said that it has been providing services, on the ground, for around four months.

She said that clients have been and will continue to be supported by a 24 hour a day, seven day a week call centre where they can access experienced health care professionals for advice between home visits.

“The nice thing is that we also don’t have a waiting list and we will never have a waiting list. It just comes down to the way we operate and our staff who are very flexible in the way that they work.

“This is largely because we have a group of core staff and a group of casuals who are on standby.

“I’ve worked in a lot of community service organisations which haven't been as responsive, for more historical reasons.

“It’s our customer focus that’s important. If I want to see my hairdresser then I make an appointment to see her, so why shouldn’t health care be the same?”

YourLife will also provide Registered Training Organisation approved courses in Certificate III in Aged Care and the Diploma of Nursing from 2011.

“We believe we will grow our own workforce and draw our staff from that over time, as the students graduate.”

The RDNS subsidiary is expected to hone in on 115 years worth of health-care experience available through its umbrella company.

The new organisation is also backed by an internationally recognised research department, which specialises in chronic illness management.

Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Adelaide, Professor Justin Beilby, has also just recently joined the board of both YourLife and the South Australian Royal District Nursing Service.

Professor Beilby has considerable experience in health sector workforce planning, primary care financing, chronic illness and the Quality Use of Medicines, in both urban and rural settings.

He is expected to bring his skills in health policy development to the RDNS at both a state and national level.