Home visits reduce pressure

A program funded by Gippsland Primary Health Network has supported COVID-19 positive patients to be managed at home by health professionals and helped reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments.

The GP commissioned home visits program has seen doctors from 10 general practices across Gippsland see 210 patients aged from three months to 103 years old in the past six months. Of this, 121 have been residents in residential aged care facilities.

Gippsland PHN chief executive officer Amanda Proposch said general practices and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCOs) were funded to assist people diagnosed with COVID-19.

“They provide home visits to people managing their COVID-19 diagnosis at home who need to be assessed by a GP or a registered nurse,” Ms Proposch said.

“The health care professionals also visit aged care residents being managed in a facility who need assessment and management in relation to COVID-19 or other health conditions while the patient is isolating.

“The program’s focus is on reducing hospitalisations and allowing people to actively engage in their own health management plan, supported by a health care professional via an in-home visit arrangement.”

In some instances, the home visit might be undertaken by a practice nurse or nurse practitioner as well as GPs.

An important aspect of the program has been Gippsland PHN’s use of Capacity Tracker, a cloud-based online tool to support general practices, RACFs, pharmacies and ACCOs during emergencies.

Capacity Tracker provides real-time data to help Gippsland PHN identify issues early and assess service capacity within the region.

First developed by the North of England Commissioning Support Unit (NECS) PHN has adapted the system for Gippsland.