Extra beds have opened at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre as part of a specialised hospital service for older South Australians awaiting Federal Government aged care.
The Malinauskas Labor Government is adding 55 additional beds to the health system and this new service, by reversing the former Liberal Government's budgeted plans to sell off the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre.
Already, 25 of those extra beds have come online as part of the new Care of the Older Person and Community Transition (CO-ACT) service, lifting the current patient cohort to 50.
The service will increase to 70 beds early next year following building works.
The Government is reopening Hampstead wards recently vacant following the relocation of rehabilitation beds to the new $314 million Queen Elizabeth Hospital Clinical Services Building.
The Hampstead site was slated to be sold by the former Liberal Government, a decision that would have stripped the health system of a crucial health site and beds at a time when demand continues to increase.
The new 70-bed Care of the Older Person and Community Transition service will be made up of 50 beds for eligible older patients and 20 for low complexity Memory Support Unit patients.
Right now, there are 241 older patients stuck in metro hospitals medically ready for discharge, waiting for a Federal Government residential aged care bed.
The first patients have been admitted to this new service from across metropolitan Adelaide hospitals.
The phased increase in capacity allows for renovations to be performed on vacant wards with the works being fast-tracked to provide more fit-for-purpose facilities for an improved patient experience. The final renovations will be complete early next year, allowing the total 70 beds to be available for patients shortly after.
The CO-ACT service provides a caring home-like environment for older patients who no longer need to remain in hospital but still require care arrangements.
It features individual and shared bedrooms, gardens, shared dining, and activity rooms. The nursing teams provide around-the-clock care to ensure patients experience a holistic and engaging environment whilst multi-disciplinary placement teams work towards securing their transition to Federal Government aged care supports within the community.
The CO-ACT model of care was developed following extensive consultation with staff, industrial bodies, patients, and their families.
These extra hospital beds are among hundreds that the Malinauskas Labor Government is adding to the health system to improve patient flow, reduce ramping and continue to improve ambulance response times.
Ambulances reached 7,083 Priority 1 and Priority 2 lights and sirens emergencies on time in October – the highest number in four years.
In October, 66 per cent of Priority 2 callouts were seen on time, compared with 59 per cent in October 2023, 47 per cent in October 2022 and 55 per cent in October 2021.
This means 2,149 more lights and sirens Priority 2 incidents arrived within the benchmark time of 16 minutes last month compared to October 2022.
Meanwhile, 72 per cent of Priority 1 callouts were seen on time – well ahead of the 60 per cent target and a substantial improvement from 62 per cent in October 2023, 52 per cent in October 2022 and 65 per cent in October 2021.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
We are delivering as many additional hospital beds as possible to build a bigger health system, including 55 extra beds at Hampstead.
This is in stark contrast to the Liberals who wanted to sell off this important health hub and close beds.
It's also pleasing to see response times continue to improve, with the highest number of lights and sirens emergencies reached on time in four years.
As put by Chris Picton
These 55 extra beds at Hampstead will help provide an important and specialised transition service for older South Australians waiting to secure a Federal Government aged care bed.
Right now there are more than 240 older patients medically ready for discharge stuck in our hospitals awaiting a Federal residential aged care bed. We continue to call on the Federal Government to address this critical issue.
Our new service at Hampstead is designed to mitigate the bed-block experienced in our busy hospitals, by providing a temporary transition for older patients who have finished their hospital admissions but are struggling to secure an aged care bed.
We are pleased to see the service is already proving to be a great support for patients and their families, as well as the hospital system more broadly.
As put by Central Adelaide Local Health Network Chief Executive Officer, Emma McCahon
We are proud to have led the development and implementation of the CO-ACT service at Hampstead.
The service brings together a wide range of clinical and clinical support staff who are focused on providing exceptional care for older people while actively helping them to find a suitable age care placement or next place.
Our teams will provide 24/7 care in a setting designed to keep patients comfortable and engaged, with access to gardens and activity rooms. This approach will help patients and their families to find the right aged care placement while ensuring they receive the necessary care. It will also free up beds for patients in our hospitals who need them most.
