Community donations have bought equipment that will ensure more Grampians Health Horsham acute patients can be cared for at home.
For the first time, the Horsham GH At Home medical team have access to their own portable ECG unit and a portable bladder scanner so they can monitor their patients in their own home.
GH At Home is an alternative to an in-hospital stay, providing acute admitted care in the comfort of the patient’s home. Patients are still regarded as hospital patients and remain under the care of their hospital doctor.
Horsham GH At Home coordinator Janet Johnson said that prior to having the equipment their patients would have to visit their clinic at the hospital.
“In the past, we had to borrow this equipment from the acute ward which wasn’t ideal because they might need to use the items at the same time,” Ms Johnson said.
“Now that we have these items, we hope to be able to take the pressure off in-patient services and outpatient continence services as well.
“We are very grateful to the community for providing this equipment through their generous donations. These items will make our patients’ journeys a lot easier because they will be able to receive more of their care at home.”
Horsham’ GH At Home team can care for up to 20 patients a day. The team includes a doctor and several nurses. Allied Health team members are also engaged in the service delivery.
Grampians Health Chief Operating Officer Hospitals Ben Kelly said the purchase of the vital new equipment was a great example of the importance of community donations.
“These items have been purchased with the gradual accumulation of small donations made by Horsham and surrounding community members,” Mr Kelly said.
“It just proves that every contribution, no matter what size, can help us deliver care that is responsive to local community needs.”
