Rapid-response discharge model targets bed block
In response to health ministers calling for urgent federal action on the impacts of hospital bed block on aged care, Freewave Aged Care — a NSW home and community care provider — said it built a solution of its own: a 48-hour discharge service. The rapid-response discharge model was developed without waiting for a new government program or contract, Freewave Aged Care said.
“If someone is medically ready to leave hospital, the absence of timely community support shouldn’t be the reason they remain there,” Freewave Aged Care Executive General Manager Sharon Ruddleston said. “We didn’t want to wait for a formal program to catch up with the need that already exists, so we built the capability ourselves.”
The service mobilises within 24 to 48 hours of referral, coordinating home modifications, assistive technology, transport and personal care, then providing intensive support through the critical first 7 to 14 days to help people stabilise at home. “The first two weeks at home are where a discharge either holds or falls apart,” Ruddleston said.
“Our model is built around getting that window right, working alongside hospital discharge teams and aged care assessors to get the right supports in place before someone even leaves the ward.”
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