In September, Healthdirect launched an enhanced After Hours General Practitioner (AHGP) support trial. 50 residential aged care homes (RACH) in the Far West and Western NSW regions are included in the expanded service pilot.
The ˜RACH Fast Track to AHGP’ pilot is available for use by registered and enrolled nurses in participating RACHs using a new dedicated phone number for RACH use only. Initial communications were sent to nominated RACF Manager contacts.
The service is intended for use when a) the patient’s condition or health concern cannot wait for the patient’s regular GP, and b) they are not unwell enough for the emergency department. Calls are triaged and e-scripts for some medications are possible.
What’s changed in GP after hours support for RACHs?
The pilot program offers:
- A dedicated phone line for RACHs in this region only – contact us for details by emailing agedcare@wnswphn.org.au
- Call back average time frames – Tier 1 – 30mins and Tier 2 – 2 hours.
- Prescriptions available – (not S8 medications) and health direct GPs cannot access eMED systems.
This service remains FREE of charge and is available in the after hours only.
If you are from a RACH in the region, haven’t yet heard about this pilot and would like to know more, please reach out to us by emailing agedcare@wnsw.phn.org.au
You can lodge an incident, complaint or compliment on the Clinical Incident Management System (CIMS).
