General Discussion > SAAS
ECP Model to be rolled out on Limestone Coast
Skippy:
I found this interesting, but should be a good idea with the growing population on the Limestone Coast. I believe they will be based in Mt Gambier
LIMESTONE Coast paramedics are trialling a program intended to reduce the strain on medical services.
Three of the region’s experienced paramedics are undertaking specialist training so they can treat people suffering from non-urgent health complaints in their own homes.
Instead of arriving in a traditional ambulance, two of the specialist paramedics - known as extended care paramedics (ECP) - will arrive at the scene in a four-wheel-drive equipped to provide more than just emergency care.
While the vehicle will not be able to transport a patient to hospital, it will be stocked with supplies such as antibiotics, catheters and blood testing equipment.
Limestone Coast ambulance operations manager Andrew Thomas told The Border Watch he was hopeful this would prevent people who were suffering from low-acuity health complaints being taken to hospital unnecessarily.
“It’s a more community-based approach, and it’s been about three years in the making,” he said.
Mr Thomas said an example of the service could be somebody with a urinary infection who would ordinarily have to call an ambulance to access medical help being administered the appropriate antibiotic by an ECP.
The specialist paramedic would then write a care plan - to be shared with the patient’s usual GP and existing health providers such as aged care workers - to thoroughly tackle the issue and try to keep the patient in their home for longer.
“A traditional ambulance is usually at somebody’s house for 20 to 30 minutes ... these guys might be at a person’s house for up to two hours,” Mr Thomas said.
If the situation turned out to be serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital, Mr Thomas said the specialist paramedics could always call for an emergency ambulance.
“It’s not replacing anyone - it’s filling in the gaps and providing extra clinical pathways for patients in country areas,” he said.
The pilot program will be tested in the Limestone Coast over 18 months, starting from the end of the year,
and will be regularly reviewed.
The initiative was made possible by the region’s successful funding application to Health Workforce Australia, which resulted in a previously reported $630,000 federal grant to extend the scope of its workforce.
Experienced intensive care paramedic David Dewar is one of the three South East men training to become an ECP.
He said he was excited by the program because it could give people with non-emergency conditions an option other than an ambulance or the hospital’s accident and emergency service.
“We might be able to avoid unnecessary long-distance transfers to the hospital, free-up emergency ambulance services and reduce the impact on our South East ambulance volunteers,” Mr Dewar said.
“It could also take the pressure off the emergency department at the hospital because we can divert patients away from there.”
kellyp:
Hello Everyone,
Just a bit of news re Limestone Coast.
A patient transport company (no names)was instumental in sending letters, and copies of rates to all Limestone Regions health services and hospitals offering patient transport services at a creditable discount to SAAS. (About 1/3rd the price I believe). Apparently not one reply from any health service or hospital. The information was sent to DON's and CEO's.
Gives some credibitily to the reason why the government is pulling ambulances the Limestone Region (see story below).
No matter what is said about the good things (see below) it seems most are looking for free hand-outs in one form or another.
The paramedics will be run off their feet trying to keep up with petty 1st aid calls when their skills should be in the emergency arena (unless of course this a government plan for R&R of former injured para's.
Definitely a case for 1st Aid training to be bumped up to the citizens of Limestone Region so they can at least take care of the smaller cases locally don't you think.
It hasn't worked anywhere else in Australia or the world so wwhy would it work here.
Regards
Kelly
--- Quote from: Skippy on October 21, 2012, 10:13:38 AM ---I found this interesting, but should be a good idea with the growing population on the Limestone Coast. I believe they will be based in Mt Gambier
LIMESTONE Coast paramedics are trialling a program intended to reduce the strain on medical services.
Three of the region’s experienced paramedics are undertaking specialist training so they can treat people suffering from non-urgent health complaints in their own homes.
Instead of arriving in a traditional ambulance, two of the specialist paramedics - known as extended care paramedics (ECP) - will arrive at the scene in a four-wheel-drive equipped to provide more than just emergency care.
While the vehicle will not be able to transport a patient to hospital, it will be stocked with supplies such as antibiotics, catheters and blood testing equipment.
Limestone Coast ambulance operations manager Andrew Thomas told The Border Watch he was hopeful this would prevent people who were suffering from low-acuity health complaints being taken to hospital unnecessarily.
“It’s a more community-based approach, and it’s been about three years in the making,” he said.
Mr Thomas said an example of the service could be somebody with a urinary infection who would ordinarily have to call an ambulance to access medical help being administered the appropriate antibiotic by an ECP.
The specialist paramedic would then write a care plan - to be shared with the patient’s usual GP and existing health providers such as aged care workers - to thoroughly tackle the issue and try to keep the patient in their home for longer.
“A traditional ambulance is usually at somebody’s house for 20 to 30 minutes ... these guys might be at a person’s house for up to two hours,” Mr Thomas said.
If the situation turned out to be serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital, Mr Thomas said the specialist paramedics could always call for an emergency ambulance.
“It’s not replacing anyone - it’s filling in the gaps and providing extra clinical pathways for patients in country areas,” he said.
The pilot program will be tested in the Limestone Coast over 18 months, starting from the end of the year,
and will be regularly reviewed.
The initiative was made possible by the region’s successful funding application to Health Workforce Australia, which resulted in a previously reported $630,000 federal grant to extend the scope of its workforce.
Experienced intensive care paramedic David Dewar is one of the three South East men training to become an ECP.
He said he was excited by the program because it could give people with non-emergency conditions an option other than an ambulance or the hospital’s accident and emergency service.
“We might be able to avoid unnecessary long-distance transfers to the hospital, free-up emergency ambulance services and reduce the impact on our South East ambulance volunteers,” Mr Dewar said.
“It could also take the pressure off the emergency department at the hospital because we can divert patients away from there.”
--- End quote ---
sba:
KellyP.
I fail to see the point of your post?
kellyp:
Hello SBA,
How silly of me to use this forum for something that you might not be interested in.
With due respect this is a forum and I have always believed in the democratric right to place items in the arena (which may not be interesting to one or two) for the general consumption and provide a point of opinion.
So the ECP's are intensive care paramedics specially trained. Well, why does the powers that be use The Royal District Nurses. They have been around for many more years than I can remember AND do exactly that, nursing. If ECP's are going to hold a masters degree then don't you think it a waste of time and money of the taxpayer when they should really be out there doing what they joined up to do instead of pussyfooting around doing what appears to be plain old 1st Aid.
This is a forum sunshine and you can have your say, as I can, so cop it sweet.
Regards
Kelly
--- Quote from: sba on November 06, 2012, 04:59:24 PM ---KellyP.
It seems you have taken 2 unrelated stories to create your post.
1. Who cares who the privates approach it's their business. If the health services don't want to respond to then, again who cares?
2. ECPs are increasing Ambulane staffing in the region not reducing it! ECPs will be able to deal with low acuity cases in the patients homes/aged care facility therefore freeing up emergency ambulances that normally would have been dealing with these minor cases and reducing local emergency workload.
3. The SA ECP program has been a huge success in reducing emergency ambulance responses and emergency department beds/time for a good % of minor cases that once would have once required an emergency Ambulance and emergency dept. bed to deal with. The SA program is so successful that Tasmania and ACT ambulance services have sent staff to SA to be trained as ECPs for their respective states.
ECPs are intensive care paramedics who receive further advanced training (in the future at University Masters level) and definitely not a R&R situation for anyone.
I fail to see the point of your post?
--- End quote ---
Pipster:
I don't know alot about this whole topic, but my understanding of ECP's is that they do a lot more than the RDNS Nurses.
ECP's do things such as suturing (except for faces) and re-inserting catheters.
These type of treatments are often the sorts of things that the elderly get sent to Emerg Departments, sit there for hours on a busy night, as they are not considered urgent, and effectively clog up an Emergency bed, before eventually being treated & sent back home / Nursing home.
If an ECP, (or some other relevantly trained health care professional) can do those jobs in the patient's home / nursing home, without the need for an ambulance trip to hospital, clogging up a bed in the Emerg Dept, and then an ambo trip back home, isn't that a good thing for everyone involved ?
Pip
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