Home and Community Care NSW: New Program Eases the Burden on Public Hospitals

A new State Government program will ease the burden on public hospital beds in New South Wales, by allowing patients to spend six weeks in transitional care after leaving hospital.

The Community Package Programs (ComPacks) provides patients leaving hospital with immediate access to community services and case management by health care providers.The New South Wales Ministry of Health has delivered the program to a range of health care providers, who will be able to provide much needed community care and support to people after they leave hospital.

Marisa Galiazzo, the Transition Project Manager from community care provider Care Connect said the program definitely makes a difference.

“There is a case management component (with the Compacks program), it requires case management and two or more home care services for a safe transition back home.”

Ms Galiazzo said hospitals were often forced to either keep patients in bed longer than needed or patients were sent home too early and readmitted.

“There’s a combination of people that stay in hospital, go back home and then bounce back and forth and are readmitted” she said.

CEO of Care Connect Paul Ostrowski said he was thrilled to have been re-engaged by the New South Wales Ministry of Health.

“We will now be supporting more than 5,000 people per year in the ComPacks program” he said.