Push for more care outside of hospitals
HEALTH SERVICES
Getting patients in need of long term care out of hospitals and into appropriate care is at the centre of a push from the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.
CHHHS has joined statewide calls for the Australian Government to urgently address funding shortfalls keeping patients in hospitals instead of appropriate care.
Locally, in CHHHS facilities there are 109 long-stay patients occupying beds in the region’s hospitals, including 27 long-stay younger and 82 long-stay older patients.
CHHHS chief executive Leena Singh said a busy hospital environment was not an appropriate location for patients requiring long-term care.
“These poor patients are stuck in our hospitals, when they deserve a much better experience based in the community, access to fresh air, ambient lighting, activities and a whole lot more peace and quiet,” Ms Singh said.
Dr Eddy Strivens addressed the media on Monday morning to explain some of the issues faced at Cairns Hospital and support services, making it clear the situation was contributing to increased ambulance ramping.
“When you have a set number of beds and you have people who are basically living there, it decreases the pool of beds available to people with more acute needs,’’ he said.
“There has been a bit of a perfect storm when we look at long-stay patients in the course of the last few years with the onset of the NDIS but also the Royal Commission into Aged Care and Dementia.
“We saw some changes with the new Aged Care Act coming in which impacted on the ability of people, especially those living with dementia, in accessing the right care.’.’
He said across Queensland, there were more than 1000 people in long-stay situations.
The Queensland Government is backing its health officials, calling on the Australian Government to urgently meet its responsibilities to Queenslanders waiting for aged care placements and National Disability Insurance Scheme assistance in Cairns.
A funding shortfall from the Australian Government is has left the patients without suitable care options and languishing in the hospital beds.
The Queensland Government is doing everything it can to ensure patients receive the healthcare they need and deserve, however funding for the NDIS and aged care is primarily the responsibility of the Australian Government.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the Crisafulli Government is doing its part to strengthen Queensland’s health system for the future.
“We are committed to improving access to healthcare across Queensland, reducing ambulance ramping, and increasing life-changing elective surgeries,” Mr Nicholls said.
“As part of our Hospital Rescue Plan, we are delivering more than 2,600 new hospital beds across three new and 10 expanded hospitals, as well as new and upgraded health facilities across Queensland.
“While we are seeing the elective surgery wait list decrease and important progress on our Plan, there is much more to be done to restore health services when you need them, and we remain committed to delivering the fresh start we promised.”
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