Hospital In The Home (HITH)Hospital in the Home (HITH)
"An innovative and comprehensive health care service, Hospital in the Home provides patients with professional care without the stress of a hospital environment."
Program Overview
The Hospital in the Home program is a service provided by Northeast Health Wangaratta. This program allows patients to receive acute health care via a coordinated team of health workers who provide substitute hospital care in the patient's own home.
The program extends care throughout the Hume Region with the exception of Benalla. Ongoing support and education is provided to external and local District Nursing Services to maintain specialist HITH skills.
The program is medically driven and therefore all referrals to the program are via the patient's treating medical officer who remains responsible for all medical care and reviews. All patients are assessed on an individual basis and admitted according to specific admission criteria ensuring patient suitability and safety. An informed voluntary written consent is gained from the patient and carer prior to admission. Additional supports in home care and meals are engaged with patient / carer consent. If required, patients are referred for other services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social work, radiology, pathology, Diabetic Educator, dietitian services, Breast Care Nurse and Continence Clinic. Discharge planning is considered and activated by referral form on admission with the aid of a risk-screening tool.
The HITH program is managed by the HITH Coordinator and is well supported by medical staff, registered nurses (Division 1) and Allied health staff. Ongoing clinical competencies, in house education and Quality activities ensure a high level of nursing care. NHW HITH collects clinical indicators, which are benchmarked with other hospitals. An annual Patient Survey is conducted and analysed with to improve the program.
Target groups of patients that can be serviced by HITH include:
- IV antibiotics - includes Baxter Infuser which delivers 24 hourly antibiotics
- Complex wound care
- Paediatric patients eg. asthma, cystic fibrosis, burns, eczema
- Diabetic stabilisation
- Medical conditions eg. chronic obstructive airway disorders, pneumonia, peritonitis, multiple sclerosis
- Trial of void
- Anticoagulation for deep vein thrombosis / pulmonary embolism, pre / post operative
- Drain tube care
- Unstable Palliative Care patients
Referral
Referral to this service can only be made by a doctor.
Cost
There is no cost to the patient incurred.