Smarter Health Care for the North

What the Tasmanian Liberals will do:

The Liberals’ Smarter Health Care package will enable people of Northern Tasmania to better access health care from the hospital to the home when they need it, by taking the pressure off the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) and freeing up hospital beds to allow Tasmanians to get their surgery on time.

Most importantly, the package will help the LGH address its unsafe occupancy levels and meet current and future health demand associated with an ageing population.

The Hodgman Liberal Government’s Smarter Health care for the north will –

These initiatives, combined with the Liberal policy to spend $10m in two years to drastically cut elective surgery waiting lists through a strategic public-private partnership in our Sooner the Better policy, will ensure better health results all round for people in Northern Tasmania.

Sooner the Better allows for patients waiting longer than clinically-recommended timeframes to have their operation in a private hospital at no cost to them, leading to a better quality of life sooner.

Why is this policy needed

For too long, Tasmania’s health system has balanced on a knife-edge and Tasmanians have been the ones to suffer.

Our health system is like a set of scales –if there are inadequate health services in the community, this adds pressure to the hospital system, and in turn leads to worsening health outcomes as people are denied a hospital bed or surgery.

We need to tip the balance in favour of keeping people well and out of hospital and use the health dollar better by investing in smarter ways to deliver health care from the hospital to the home.

The benefits of the Liberals’ Smarter Health approach are –

A new 28-bed transitional care facility

In 2008 the Liberals revealed a secret Government report “Rehabilitation Services in Tasmania: Current Situation and Future Plans” that showed the north of the State had just 16-18 rehabilitation beds and that before 2016, another 150 additional inpatient rehabilitation beds were needed Statewide.

While the LGH’s Rehabilitation Ward has now increased to 26 beds, this is still a long way short of the rehabilitation beds and additional step-down or sub-acute beds needed by the Northern Tasmanian community into the future.

A Hodgman Liberal Government will refurbish the John L. Grove Centre – situated close to the LGH – to create a new 28-bed transitional care facility. For greater flexibility in the delivery of health care, these beds will be multipurpose, for slow-stream rehabilitation, geriatric evaluation and provide step-down care for those waiting for permanent residential care. The 26-bed rehabilitation ward will also remain at the LGH. This initiative will provide patients with a range of care options depending on their need, and a pathway from the hospital to the home, or nursing home.

Current tenants of the John L. Grove Centre will need to be re-housed and we will consult with them in an attempt to keep them within the hospital precinct. Funding has been provided for leasing.

The new 28 bed transitional unit will facilitate more timely discharge of rehabilitation, stroke and acute patients from the LGH, address increasing demand for rehabilitation services, and improve access to services in the north. The benefits are that it will deliver a decrease in the average length of stay at the hospital, and will free up more beds for acute care.

Dedicated Palliative Care

A Hodgman Liberal Government will provide four dedicated palliative care beds for public patients in the north of the State, more than doubling the number available in the region. The beds will be negotiated within 30 days of election and provided by the private hospital system, extending the current contract with Calvary Health Care at its St Luke’s campus.

Six years after a 2004 report recommended dedicated palliative beds located in, and spread between existing acute and rural hospitals, beds remain at the same inadequate levels. There are just three publicly-funded dedicated palliative care beds for the north of the State and since the private hospital contract began, these beds have been 96 per cent occupied.

The Tasmanian Liberals strongly support the right of the terminally ill and their families to have choice in accessing quality palliative care in a range of settings from the home to the hospital.

Hospital in the Home

‘Hospital in the Home’ has been proven to work successfully in other Australian States where it is well established, as an efficient alternative to hospital care for frequent hospital users and those needing continuity of care post-discharge, including those with chronic disease, and adults, infants and children with complex and ongoing care needs.

‘Hospital in the Home’ is overwhelmingly valued by patients and carers because it allows increased mobility for patients, more time with family and less disruption of family life, reduced transport needs and time waiting for hospital care, and importantly an infection-free environment.

Many patients in other States who had previously experienced lengthy in-hospital admissions say if presented with a choice, they prefer Hospital in the Home over having to stay in hospital.

A Hodgman Liberal Government will significantly boost ‘Hospital in the Home’ services in Launceston, for patients and families who would like this option. We will provide funding for staffing, and support needs (IT, infrastructure and communication).

This initiative has the potential to further free up hospital beds.

Establish Tasmania’s first walk-in care clinic in the north

A Hodgman Liberal Government will establish Tasmania’s first walk-in care clinic after consultation with hospital management, local GPs, the AMA and the ANF.

The Walk-in Care Clinic will be staffed by three funded nurse practitioner positions. The clinic will allow for extended hours week-day access for simple treatments and minor health problems. Minor health problems could include coughs and cold, sprains, cuts, minor wounds, soft tissue injuries, ear infections, urinary tract infections etc. for people of all ages. There will be no need for an appointment.

The service could also provide health screening tests, physical examinations, injections, immunisations and health education and promotion.

A Walk-in Care Clinic which will have the benefit of relieving pressure on the LGH’s Emergency Department for minor health matters, and ensure faster access to simple medical treatments for Northern Tasmanians.

Eight new nurse practitioner positions for the North

The Tasmanian Liberals support the position of nurse practitioners, who are expert nurses with many years of tertiary study including a post-graduate clinical masters degree. They do not replace the work of doctors and practice within a carefully regulated framework. There are now more than 305 nurse practitioners successfully practising nationally, however there are none practising in Tasmania.

A Hodgman Liberal Government believes nurse practitioners can assist in improving access for all Tasmanians to a range of health care services in various locations of the State, and will fund eight of these new positions for Northern Tasmania.

There are currently 26 nurses with the appropriate masters qualifications waiting for recognition in their new role but there are no funded positions for employment opportunities. We will use their services to deliver a range of health care solutions from the hospital to the home.

Establish a Rapid Response GP Unit and Development Fund

The Liberals understand Tasmanians are entitled to health care when and where they need it.

A Hodgman Liberal Government will fund a $500,000 per annum “Rapid Response GP and Development Fund” (RRDF) in the north of the State to ensure no Tasmanian is left without primary health care in the event of unexpected GP shortages. Lack of access to primary health care puts additional pressure on hospitals and can compromise the health of Tasmanians.

The RRDF will be managed by GP North and GP Workforce in the north of the State, and will have the ability to act swiftly to respond to community needs, with a team comprising a GP, practice nurse and practice manager, to ensure patients have continuity of care in urban and regional communities in the north of the State.

From the Fund the Liberals would purchase three dedicated registrar positions from General Practice Training Tasmania (GPTT) each year – over and above the 21 positions the Commonwealth allocates. The positions will be full-time and GPTT will be directed to place those registrars in areas of workforce shortage as identified in the Workforce Plan, including Launceston. Also, GPs in the north will have the benefit of additional incentive payments for taking on trainee GPs (on top of that provided by the Commonwealth). We would also provide incentives to GPs, to support aged care residents.

Fully fund the positions of doctors, nurses and allied health staff required to meet the construction of the expanded Department of Emergency Medicine, Acute Medical Unit, Day Procedure Unit and expanded ICU/HDU at the Launceston General Hospital.

A Hodgman Liberal Government acknowledges the need for additional staff to meet the needs of facilities under construction at the LGH. This capital works program, largely funded by the Australian Government, will assist the hospital meet health demand into the future, but must be fully staffed.

Attempts by the Liberals over a six month period to obtain the Business Case from the LGH to assist with accurate policy development for this commitment have failed. Therefore, the Liberals cannot accurately cost this part of the Smarter Health package but in acknowledging the need for additional staffing as part of those capital developments, we will match the Government’s commitment in this area.

After more than 11 years of Labor…

Costings

The total cost of this policy is $155.4 million. This includes $25.4 million for Smarter Health initative funding, and $130 million for additional staff at the Launceston General Hospital.