Media Statement: Progression of Care Hub
Thursday, 5 September 2024 / Albury Wodonga Health
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5 September 2024
Media statement attributable to Linda Hudec, Chief Operating Officer Acute Hospital Services:
Since July, Albury Wodonga Health (AWH) has worked closely with the Royal Melbourne Hospital to establish our ‘Progression of Care Hub’, the first central access and flow coordination centre of its kind in a regional Victorian health service. This innovative, multidisciplinary hub helps AWH to better coordinate its resources across the health service in partnership with our peripheral health services. These efforts will be significantly enhanced in November with further digitalisation across the Hume region.
This initiative has significantly improved patient flow across the system which has alleviated pressure on our clinical teams and assisted in freeing up capacity to commence more planned surgeries for our community.
In recognition of these advancements, AWH has been invited to join the Victorian Department of Health’s statewide ‘Timely Emergency Care’ program, an initiative that helps to advance collaboration and thought leadership amongst clinicians and health leaders, to better deliver the right care, at the right place, at the right time. This program will enable AWH to collaborate with other leading health services across Victoria, sharing best practices in access and flow.
Additionally, the Progression of Care Hub has positioned AWH to manage its Acute Admitted Overflow Unit more efficiently. This unit is designed to flex up during surges in acute admissions and flex down in capacity as demand eases. Thanks to these innovative improvements in patient access and flow, AWH has been able to flex down this unit, ensuring patients receive care in more traditional and appropriate points of care.
Consultation with staff and the New South Wales Nurses Association (NSWNA) has begun on the proposed permanent closure of the unit. Currently, the unit remains flexed down in line with its intended use, with nursing staff redeployed to other acute care areas to continue delivering high-quality patient care.