Service information

Hospital in the Home (HITH) services have been developed to provide patients with a greater choice in where their hospital care is received, improve access to health services, equal or better care outcomes and improve efficiencies in service delivery.

The HITH team provides care for four distinct patient groups.

• HITH
  Acute care provided at patient’s place of residence which may substitute a hospital admission or a component of a hospital admission. Without a HITH service, the patient would otherwise be admitted to hospital for treatment in a traditional acute hospital bed. Each patient is identified as requiring minimum of daily treatment and/or monitoring during HITH episode of care. Medical management and governance is provided by the HITH Consultant at Ipswich Hospital. Patients on HITH are considered inpatients and are admitted to the HOME ward.
• GEMHITH
  Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) in the Home. Short term, restorative care provided by a multidisciplinary team including Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Social Work, Pharmacist and Nursing. Care substitutes full or part hospital GEM admission and aims at facilitating earlier discharge and supporting patients in the 14 days following discharge whilst being under the care of a Geriatrician. Each patient is identified as requiring minimum of daily treatment and/or monitoring during GEMHITH episode of care. Medical management and governance is provided by the Ipswich GEMHITH Consultant (Geriatrician). Patients on GEMHITH are considered inpatients.
• Home IV
  Acute care provided at place of residence which may substitute a hospital admission or a component of a hospital admission. Patients are identified as requiring longer term intravenous antibiotics through a PICC Line. Medical governance is a shared care model provided by the Ipswich Infectious Disease Physician and the HITH Consultant. Patients on Home IV are considered inpatients.
• Multidisciplinary Avoidance Post-Acute Service (MAPS)
  Consists of Allied Health including Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Nursing. Care is provided either in their place of residence or in a clinic-based setting, for patients to facilitate earlier discharge for up to 14 days following discharge from hospital. The MAPS service is an outpatient multidisciplinary service providing follow up, post-acute care to patients requiring allied health or nursing intervention. The service is aimed at linking patients into ongoing care within the community. Medical management and governance is provided by the patient’s General Practitioner (GP). Patients under MAPS are considered outpatients.

Eligibility

• A treating authorised practitioner agrees that care for a patient with an acute condition can be safely provided and managed outside of a traditional acute hospital bed.
• The patient consents to transfer of care. The HITH referral form records patient's verbal consent to transfer of care.
• If intravenous antibiotics are required, the patient has no known allergy to medication prescribed during the HITH episode of care and the first dose of any intravenous medication has been given within the hospital.
• Patient has access to a telephone with dial out facilities.
• Patient lives in an area with mobile phone coverage.
• Patient has access to a working refrigerator with suitable storage room (if required to store medications).
• Patients may be required to attend clinic-based appointments to receive their HITH care, if their home environment is not suitable to conduct home visits for the provision of clinical care.
• Patient resides within the West Moreton HITH catchment.

Referral pathway

• Direct referrals from GP will be considered.
• All referrals are via phone call to referral line 0418 177 831, where the case will be discussed and to enable initial assessment of suitability in relation to service capacity and ensure acceptance of care.
• A referral letter should also be sent by GP to HITH to complete the referral process.
• MAPS referrals are currently limited to being accepted directly post-acute inpatient admission.

Contact information

Contact HITH Referral line for all referrals (this ensures service has capacity to provide care required).

HITH Referrals

• Phone: 0418 177 831 or (07) 3413 7470
  (8 am–4 pm, 7 days per week)
• Fax: (07) 3413 7474

Resources

• Hospital in the Home flyer (PDF)

Service information

MeCare is one of our programs built in partnership with Philips Healthcare to provide specialised support for people with challenging health issues and circumstances. The name stands for mobile enabled care and this means care that is not just in the hospital/health centre but wherever you are.

The program is delivered by a team of health professionals including doctors, nurses and other health professionals. The team works closely with GPs and other care providers to ensure that a wide range of health factors are monitored and enable informed care decisions in managing health conditions.

Eligibility

Patients must fit into the following criteria:

• Have one or more of the following
  • heart failure
  • diabetes
  • COPD/Asthma
  • chronic kidney disease.
• Resident within the WMH geographic area.
• Have at least 3G connectivity at their homes.
• Does the patient have stable mental health?
  (i.e. not actively psychotic or undergoing significant medication regime changes)
• Is the patient a current user of illicit substances?
• Does the patient have a history of admission to WMH hospital greater than three times a year for the last two years?

Referral pathway

Contact MeCare for all referrals

• Phone 1300 632 273 (8.30 am-4.30 pm)
• Email WM_MeCare@health.qld.gov.au.
• Fax referral form (PDF) to 3413 5699