Better healthcare for urgent medical needs of older South Australians
The challenge
For years, older people have been sharing the challenges of seeking urgent medical attention. When an urgent non-life-threatening healthcare need arises, it can be difficult to see a GP promptly and sometimes there is little alternative to presenting at an Emergency Department, often described as challenging and chaotic environment.
Similarly, the pressure on first responders (ramping) and hospitals experienced during and post the COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for exploring alternative and tailored healthcare services to better support older people seeking urgent medical attention.
About the Better Way Urgent Care project
In response to pressure in the health system during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) and Flinders University partnered to provide urgent healthcare – CARE service – at the REPAT for people aged 65+, and Aboriginal Elders and families living in southern Adelaide. This service is referral-based by South Australian Ambulance Service (SAAS), giving eligible consumers the option of using the CARE service for urgent medical attention as an alternative to attending Emergency Departments in southern Adelaide.
Through a Medical Research Future Fund grant, SALHN and Flinders University established the Better Way Urgent Care project to understand the needs and preferences people aged 65+ and Aboriginal Elders living in southern Adelaide. The purpose of the project was to evaluate whether the newly established CARE service aligned with those needs and preferences. The research also sought to understand whether the service helps to relieve pressure in Emergency Departments and reduce hospital admissions.
The Plug-in, COTA SA, partnered in the project to understand consumer experiences. Across three (3) workshops, The Plug-in engaged with 39 older people living in southern Adelaide to better understand healthcare needs and preferences for illnesses and/or injuries that were not life-threatening but required urgent attention.
To understand the needs of Elders, Associate Professor Tamara McKean and Mr Shane D’Angelo, Flinders University, held 4 yarning circles with 41 Aboriginal people aged 50+ in southern Adelaide.
About the CARE service and Virtual Wards
The CARE service operates from the Repat Health Precinct between 8:00am to 10:00pm, 7 days a week. It is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of experts who specialise in working with older people and has allied health services, imaging, and pathology available onsite.
The service is designed to provide urgent medical attention and support patients to return home on the same day. The service extends to home with the Eyes on Scene team who liaise with patients at home and with geriatricians and specialists to continue to provide care to patients and avoid hospital admissions. The multidisciplinary Eyes on Scene team operate 8:00am to 8:00pm, 7 days a week.
The Virtual Rehabilitation Ward operates from Flinders Medical Centre and provides hospital-grade care to patients at home using technologies. Doctors are involved in providing ongoing care and allied health staff provide rehabilitation. They are supported by nurses who check in with patients using digital devices to monitor their health.
Outcomes
The Project Team continues to deliver outcomes for Better Way Urgent Care in 2024.
Preliminary findings of the project have confirmed that older people want access to urgent healthcare outside of the busy and chaotic environment of Emergency Departments.Aboriginal Elders and family members would like to have the option of seeking and receiving care outside of hospital settings and receive care at home where possible
Tools were developed to measure the preferences of older consumers for urgent care and to measure the quality of the experience of urgent care.
By raising awareness of the success of the Urgent CARE service through the Better Way Urgent Care findings and outcomes, the findings encourage and assist the implementation of alternate urgent care services and uptake across other hospitals in South Australia, nationally and globally.
Read the full Consumer Insights Report developed by The Plug-in, COTA SA, following engagement with people aged 65+ in February 2023.
Read more about the CARE Service on SA Health’s website:
Watch the below video for more information about the project, the research, and outcomes.
The Better Way Urgent Care project is funded by a Medical Research Future Fund Grant, administered by the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network and Flinders University in partnership with The Plug-in at COTA SA to engage with older South Australians living in southern Adelaide.
The information you share helps COTA SA and The Plug-in to understand what is important to older people. The findings from this survey will help COTA SA advocate to ensure the voices of older people are reflected and inform COTA SA’s policy platform development to government.
