Page 3576 - Week 08 - Thursday, 18 August 2011
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(4) Advice from the Ryde Rehabilitation Unit ‘Moorong’ which is situated in Sydney, is that the unit has temporarily relocated patients to another location on site while a new purpose built centre is constructed. There has been nil reduction to services provided to patients during this time. Upon completion of the construction, all temporarily relocated patients will be transferred to the new unit complex.
(5) When a patient being treated in Sydney is ready to return to Canberra, a referral is made from the Sydney Hospital to the Rehabilitation Medicine Unit within RACC. Once this is accepted, if the patient is to return via admission to ward 12B at the Canberra Hospital, there is significant involvement by Rehabilitation Care Co-ordinators who will assist in all aspects of the patients planning. If a patient is to return directly to home there is significant involvement of the Rehabilitation Coordinator from the Community Rehabilitation Team that also provides Occupational Therapists to complete a home modification assessment. In all cases of spinal injury patients returning to Canberra, a rehabilitation consultant and rehabilitation nurse practitioner are also involved.
Any equipment needs are available through the ACT Equipment Scheme on referral from the treating clinician, and these items are made available in the hospital setting on return, and in the home environment as required. Items are fully funded by the Scheme.
Once a patient with a spinal cord injury is discharged from hospital into the community (regardless of which hospital the discharge occurs at), the patient is eligible for multidisciplinary follow up for a period of 18 months by the community rehabilitation team. This time frame is based on evidence that the majority of health, environment and community reintegration issues occur during this period for people with a newly acquired spinal cord injury.
(6) At the end of the 18 month period, these clients are handed over to the Community Care Program within RACC for ongoing community based needs. In addition to this, these patients are also referred to the Spinal Cord Injury Review Clinic multidisciplinary team for support. The aim of this clinic is to provide ongoing assessment and interventions as required. This team consists of Medical Specialist, Nurse Practitioner, Complex Care Clinical Nurse Consultant, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Social Workers.
(7) The current level of services and support (in hospital and in the community) for spinal cord injuries in the ACT will continue and will increase in line with population demand and funding. The proposed new sub-acute hospital will improve care for people returning to Canberra for rehabilitation as it will provide multi-disciplinary services to all patients that require rehabilitation, including spinal cord rehabilitation.
Calvary Hospital—ward 2N
(Question No 1644)
Ms Bresnan asked the Minister for Health, upon notice, on 28 June 2011:
(1) How many (a) social workers and (b) mental health nursing staff, in terms of full-time equivalents, were employed to service clients of Ward 2N at Calvary Hospital in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11 and how many are planned for 2011-12.
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