Dubbo Private Hospital’s rehabilitation unit is back on its feet, a move that may ease the strain on the overworked public hospital in the city.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Recent research told the private provider of a growing need for rehabilitation beds in its catchment and the good sense of making up six that have remained empty for some years.
Crucial to the relaunch has been the appointment of a rehabilitation physician, Dr Jennifer O’Riordan of Sydney, who will be on duty two days a week.
The first patients will be admitted to the unit this Friday, amid hopes that in time the unit could grow to 10 or 12 beds.
It will cater to private patients who are recovering from the likes of a stroke, heart attack or orthopaedic procedure, who need a safe and supportive environment to regain “function” before they return home.
“People will come in and get ready for going home, so when they go home they don’t have as many issues,” chief executive officer of Dubbo Private Hospital Michael Mitchell said yesterday.
“It’s about decreasing the re-admission rate of patients back into hospital because they weren’t ready to go home.”
Healthe Care, the owner of Dubbo Private Hospital, commissioned the research that has resurrected the unit closed by a previous owner. Mr Mitchell said the study found that in the next five years rehabilitation “will be the largest area of need within the region because of an ageing population”.
“We’ve decided that we won’t introduce any new service into the private hospital that we don’t believe will aid the health system of Dubbo,” he said.
The private hospital anticipates its unit will free up beds at Dubbo Base Hospital and complement services provided by Lourdes Hospital.
“The only private rehabilitation unit that I can find west of Sydney is at Dudley (Private Hospital),” Mr Mitchell said.
“We are offering a service where people don’t have to leave Dubbo.
“We believe we will get some patients and start to fill up very quickly.”
Dr O’Riordan concurred that the reopening of the unit was a boon for the city’s health system.
“I think it will relieve some of the pressure not only on Lourdes but on the base hospital as well,” she said. The unit includes a kitchen, gym and dining facilities with patients expected to dress each morning and have their meals at the table and not in bed.
Allied health professionals, including contracted physiotherapists and occupational therapists, will join nursing staff in helping patients to remaster the physical abilities and skills they need in order to go home.
Mr Mitchell said an average stay in the unit would be 12 to 15 days, but some patients might need to stay longer.
“Our key objective is to get it right,” he said.
“Rehab is about outcomes. If you get good outcomes, the unit gets a good name and doctors will refer patients to it.”
Dr O’Riordan said both public and private rehabilitation units were closely monitored by the Australian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre.