More nurses are to visit older Canberrans in residential aged care under a new service aimed at helping people manage their medical conditions where they live, rather than needing a visit to hospital.
The Geriatric Rapid Acute Care Evaluation (GRACE) Service was introduced as a trial in 2016 involving the Capital Health Network, Calvary Public Hospital and five residential aged care facilities in Canberra’s north.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Meegan Fitzharris said the service would now be expanded across the ACT using funding in the mid-year Budget review.
“GRACE is an important part of the Government’s $34.5 million Hospital in the Home expansion announced in last year’s Budget, with a specific focus on providing better care for older Canberrans where they live ,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“ The ACT’s population is not only growing, it is ageing, and with that demographic comes increasingly complex health issues that put pressure on frontline services .”
She said there was a need to look at new and innovative ways of providing better primary and community health services that keep people out of hospital.
Chief Executive of the Capital Health Network, Gaylene Coulton said she was pleased to see the innovative program expanded across the ACT.
“This is a great outcome, with the trial highlighting a 24 per cent reduction in emergency department presentations and a 25 per cent reduction in admissions from residential aged care facilities,” Professor Coulton said.
“These results demonstrate the positive impact this program can have as it is expanded across Canberra.”
Ms Fitzharris said more than 500 older persons from residential aged care facilities received care as part of the GRACE trial program between October 2017 and the end of January this year.
She said the rollout Territory-wide would be phased, with an extension of the current services operating on the north side and the introduction of south side services from April this year.
