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Program Contact: Simon Pavelic
Contact Phone: 08 8374 7009
Contact Email: simon.pavelic@gpns.org.au
Aged Care Initiative
The aim of the Aged Care Access Initiative (ACAI) is to improve access to primary care (GP and allied health services) for residents of aged care facilities. Details of this new Commonwealth Government Initiative, which replaced the Aged Care GP Panels Initiative, are contained in the revised Aged Care Access Initiative Program Guidelines August 2008.
The ACAI supports improving access to GP and allied health services for residents of aged care facilities through two separate components as follows:
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Extended Care Paramedic Pilot
SA Ambulance Service introduced Extended Care Paramedics (ECPs) from 1 December 2008.
An ECP Pilot is being trialled across Adelaide’s southern metropolitan area to provide alternative care pathways for patients and to help reduce avoidable transfers to hospital from Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs). The project will provide high level support to general practice and RACFs. It was developed following extensive consultation with the general practice sector through gpns, Southern Adelaide Health Service, AMA, ANF, RACFs and RDNS.
What is an Extended Care Paramedic?
A pilot group of 12 SA Ambulance Service intensive care paramedics have been extensively trained as ECPs. They can assess patients for a range of common medical issues from their residential facility, and if needed, refer them to other health professionals.
This service will be provided by a road response ECP who will be supported by an ECP in the Emergency Operations Centre via the triple-zero (000) call facility. The ECP will work closely with health professionals in the community to provide a multidisciplinary team approach to patient care.
How different will an ECP be from other paramedics?
Traditionally, a call for an ambulance resulted in two paramedics attending in a stretcher-carrying ambulance with the patient being transported to hospital. With this service, a qualified ECP will assess the patient’s requirements through phone consultation and despatch an ECP who is a single responder in an ambulance response vehicle.
How to access an ECP?
The introduction of ECPs is an enhancement of SA Ambulance Service existing service. To access an ECP, call triple-zero (000).
What are the expected benefits?
Patients will receive less disruptive and more tailored acute care, and if needed, will be referred to other health professionals appropriate to their needs. Benefits to primary health care include improved liaison with general practice and timely support for GPs in managing complex patients.
For more information:
For further information about the ECP Pilot, please contact Simon Pavelic, gpns Aged Care Program Coordinator, on 8374 7009 or email.
Oral Health for Older People
It is now approaching 4 years since the SA Dental Service implemented the Oral Health for Older People program in the gpns. Results of the evaluation, published by The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, demonstrate oral health screening followed by required dental treatment improves general health and well-being. This is not surprising, given that strong evidence linking oral and general health has been available in the literature for over a decade, especially compelling are the links between poor oral health and cardiovascular disease.
The Oral Health Screen, consisting of six questions, integrated into the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) health assessments identifies older people who need priority referral for dental treatment. To date more than 3,500 older people have received a screening through our gpns GPs and nurse health assessors.
Older people after participating in the program reported:
- far less dental pain and increased comfort and pleasure in eating
- significant improvements in their ability to go about their normal day-to-day activities both at home and in the community
At the six-month follow-up contact, those same older people reported:
- a significant improvement in their quality of life (prior to their dental treatment, people screened through this program experienced adverse impacts on their quality of life that were four times worse, on average, than the Australian older population) and
- improvements in emotional well-being and in self-nominated goals for dental treatment.
This successful state program has been limited by funding but there is hope on the horizon. Changes announced in the Federal Budget came into effect November 2007 and should have extended the opportunities for the provision of Medicare funded dental care available for people with chronic diseases, who are either living independently in the community or in residential aged care. Although details of this initiative are still being developed it is clear that GPs role will be crucial.
For copies of the AIHW report, email Anne Fricker or phone 8222 9093 ; fax 8222 9098.
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