Hospitals in the state’s southeast came together recently to discuss the establishment of Patient Access Coordination Hubs (PACHs) following the successful trial of a PACH by the Metro North Hospital and Health Service.
An Australian first, Metro North’s PACH provides a 'birds-eye-view' of patient demand, patient flow, and bed capacity in the hospital, leading to improved coordination and utilisation of resources. To help expand the program to other services, the Clinical Excellence Division hosted a workshop for Queensland Health clinicians and managers on 14 September. Members of the State Health Emergency Coordination Centre (SHECC) and Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) were also in attendance to support the sharing of ideas and learnings between teams for the successful broader roll out of PACHs. Their roll out is one of the key elements of the South East Queensland Emergency Care Action Plan which the Clinical Excellence Division is helping to implement.
The $10 million plan builds on existing efforts to improve access to emergency care across South East Queensland (SEQ) and was developed in consultation with key leaders from Hospital and Health Services (HHSs) across SEQ and the QAS. It is designed to support the efforts of clinicians and ambulance staff in delivering care, despite the current and predicted future demand for emergency care.
Pictured: Back row L-R: is Craig Emery (QAS), Piotr Swierkowski (Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service), Tony Wain (QAS), James Lind, and Matthew Lund (Gold Coast Health), Front row L-R:Julie Bunting (Metro North Hospital and Health Service), Robyn Henderson (West Moreton Hospital and Health Service), Suzanne Metcalfe (Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service), Jacinta Powell (Metro South Health), and Linda McCormack.
