CARE-PACT is a unique demand management program that focuses on streamlining and educating the care pathway for the frail elderly residents of aged care facilities. There are four main components to the CARE-PACT model of care.
- Telephone triage and clinical care planning will reduce avoidable ED presentations by providing a dedicated single point of contact for referral of deteriorating RACF patients that will enable specialist emergency geriatric clinical assessment followed by appropriate linking of the patient to the most appropriate service to attend to their care needs.
- An ED and inpatient resource and early discharge service, maximises the opportunity for early discharge to the care of GPs, RACFs or acute care substitution services by facilitating integration of these services into the collaborative discharge planning process.
- An ED-equivalent assessment service in the RACF will reduce avoidable ED presentations by reviewing patients with acute deterioration in the RACF, at GP or QAS request, who would otherwise be sent to EDs across the district.
- CARE-PACT will provide inpatient hospital standard acute care substitution within the RACF to those meeting criteria of QH’s Hospital in the Home guidelines.