Website for the Ouse District Hospital of the Derwent Valley and Central Highlands

OUSE AREA HEALTH SERVICES

Existing Services v Department’s proposed health centre services

 Services now operating at                                                              Funding         

Ouse:

 A.  Services Operating from or through Ash Cottage Opposite the Hospital

  1. Primary Health Coordinator (full time)                                           Aust Govt       

  2. Diabetes Educator (by doctor referral)                                          State               

  3. Dietician (one day per month or so)                                              State               

  4. Youth Health Worker (three days/week)                                        Aust Govt       

  5. Suicide Prevention Coordinator (14 hrs/wk)                                  Aust Govt       

  6. Mental Health Nurse (monthly)                                                      State   

  7. Women’s Programs (local facilitators)                                          Aust Govt       

  8. Tadpoles (ages 0-5):                                                                               
    Communities for Children program                                        Aust Govt       
    Parenting Group                                                                      Aust Govt       
    Mobile Play Group                                                                   Aust Govt       

  9. Physio (currently negotiating for 1 day/3 weeks)  -                      

  10. Odd Job Squad (for aged, ill, disabled)                                        Foundation  for Regional and Rural Renewal

  11. Pastoral Care (volunteer)                                                             -                      

 B.  Services Operating by or at Hospital

(Services listed as now being provided at the Ouse District Hospital:  “Summary Health Plan”, Appendix 2, p. 65, May 2007).

  1. General Practitioner/GP rooms                                                     State/Aust Govt

  2. Visiting child health                                                                        State

  3. Podiatry                                                                                          State

  4. Physiotherapy                                                                                State

  5. Mental health                                                                                  State

  6. Diabetes education                                                                        State

  7. Outreach - occupational, speech pathology                                  State

  8. Sub-acute beds (4)                                                                        State

  9. Residential aged care beds (6)                                                     State/Aust

 Plus existing services not listed in Health Plan:

  1.  Emergency outpatient services                                                   State

  2. Community transport (also used by other groups)                     State

  3. In-home meal provision                                                               State

  4. Palliative care (in one of the sub-acute beds)                             Local community

  5. Home Help                                                                                   State/Aust Govts

  6. Social Worker (two days per week, from New Norfolk)              State

  7. Community Health Nurse (from New Norfolk)                             State

  8. Home Help                                                                                   State/Aust Govts

 List of services promised in Health Plan for Central Highlands Area but already provided.   

 (1)        List of services proposed in “What will these changes mean for Ouse Hospital?” in “Tasmania’s Health Plan Ouse, Fact Sheet” distributed by Health Department on 15th June 2007.  These are similar to the services identified for the Ouse Community Health Centre Tier 1 site – taken from “Summary Health Plan”, p. 34, May 2007.

             Proposed Service/facility                                        Already Exists?
                                                                                                (from list of services above)

  1. Respite beds                                                   Yes, A8

  2. Day care centre                                              No, community already seeking funding from HACC for 1 day/week in existing rooms at Country Club

  3. In-home nursing/personal care for aged        Yes, B16-17

  4. Nursing clinics                                                            Yes, B10 (but see item 2 below)

  5. Allied health services                                      This is a concept not a service.

  6. Outpatient services                                         Yes, B10

  7. GP practice                                                     Yes, B1

  8. Individual in-home arrangements*                  Yes, A10, B12, B14, B16-17 plus packages for care in place from Aust Govt.

  9. Hospital admissions                                       Yes, A8

(admissions to New Norfolk/other)                 NN Hospital is now at capacity, and has no outpatient or emergency capability.

  1. Overnight respite**                                         Yes, A8 - with further potential in self contained living units adjoining Hospital.
  2. Prevention/management chronic disease.     Yes, A1-7, B1-7, B16-17 plus one day/week nurse paid by Doctor.

*           meals, domestic, nursing, personal care
**         for non-health related conditions (aged, social support)       

Summary

 The Health Plan promises to reinforce some services already provided.  Perhaps the only new services promised under the Health Plan but not provided at the moment are:

  1. Day care centre (item (b) above).  (A day care centre allows aged persons to attend the centre for meals, social events and etc.; these are also a good opportunity for staff to check on possible preventative and chronic health requirements.)  

 Ash cottage has already sought funding from the HACC (Home And Community Care, State Govt) for this – one day/week in the existing Ouse Country Club building.  Construction of a new facility by the State would allow increased capacity, but this duplicate centre is not required to achieve the Health Plan goals or to extend the existing Hospital operations.  A new day care centre would be a waste of funds and is no compensation for the overall downgrading of the Hospital.

  1. A “nursing clinic” is not well defined.  Some such services are now provided through the Doctor.  However, it is clear that the Department has erected a barrier between the Doctor and the nursing staff such that the staff are not permitted to provide the sort of services expected in a fully fledged nursing clinic.  Suitable instructions from the Department would ensure the provision of such a facility using current (qualified) staff who are enthusiastic about this potential.
  2. More community aged care packages are mentioned in the Health Plan – but these are slated to be largely funded by the Commonwealth (“Summary Health Plan”, p. 34, May 2007).