Hunter New England Local Health District is appointing dedicated patient flow concierge staff to support Emergency Departments (EDs) across the district deliver more timely access to care.
The investment in these positions will help improve access to inpatient ward beds and reduce the time patients spend waiting in our EDs.
The new staff are part of the Minns Labor Government's Budget investment of $53.9 million to improve patient flow in hospitals by reducing their time spent in hospital and allowing patients to return home sooner.
The new staff will identify and support discharge planning by identifying patients early on that are suitable to be discharged home with the appropriate supports in place, improving patient and carer experiences and helping reduce inpatient length of stay and hospital readmissions.
Several of the concierge staff have already started in their new roles, with the remaining officers set to join the hospitals over the coming weeks.
The HNELHD concierge staff are being deployed to:
- Tamworth Hospital (2): A Whole of Hospital Coordinator to promote timely access to care, enhance patient safety, and improve patient experience, and a Discharge Planner to support patients with complex health care needs.
- Manning Hospital (1): A Whole of Health Program Coordinator.
- Maitland Hospital (3): A Whole of Health Program Coordinator and Flow Navigator to reduce delays and coordinate escalation and transfer of care.
- District-wide (2): A Patient Access and Flow Coordinator to minimise delays in patient care and enhance organisational capacity, and a Planned Care for Better Health Manager to support the needs of older people admitted to hospital with complex care coordination needs.
This is just one of a range of measures included in the Minns Labor Government's $480.7 million ED relief package announced in the state Budget last year. These also include:
- $171.4 million to expand Single Front Door referral pathways via Healthdirect helping 180,000 people avoid a trip to the ED. The expansion includes the implementation of three statewide virtual care models.
- $100 million over two years to back in our urgent care services to become a mainstay and key instrument of the health system in providing a pathway to care outside of our hospitals for an estimated 114,000 patients;
- $70 million to expand emergency department short stay units to improve patient flow to reduce ED wait times by nearly 80,000 hours;
- $15.1 million for an Ambulance Matrix that provides real time hospital data to enable paramedics to transport patients to emergency departments with greater capacity and reducing wait times;
- $31.4 million to increase Hospital in the Home across the state allowing over 3,500 additional patients each year to be cared for in their home rather than a hospital bed
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park:
"The Minns Labor Government is committed to investing in emergency department relief measures to support better health outcomes for rural and regional communities.
"These patient flow concierge officers are helping to free up doctors and nurses to treat patients sooner by taking charge of the coordination of administrative tasks, including complex discharge planning.
"This initiative is already reaping results in the Hunter and New England regions, including a reduction in long wait times in emergency departments."
Quotes attributable to Minister for the Hunter, Yasmin Catley:
"Our mission is to provide the best health care possible in the Hunter, improving outcomes for patients and helping healthcare professionals to prioritise those who need them most.
"These new roles are a game-changer-faster patient turnover, more available beds, and a healthier community in the Hunter.
"By speeding up patient care, we're not just making things more efficient-we're helping the Hunter stay healthy with more resources where they're needed most."
Quotes attributable to Member for Maitland, Jenny Aitchison:
"This additional support being provided to Maitland Hospital staff and patients will help improve quality of care and reduce wait times.
"I'm so pleased to be part of the Minns Labor Government as we get on with the job of building our health workforce and improving services that were left shattered after 12 years of neglect from the Liberal and Nationals government."
Quotes attributable to Labor Spokesperson for Myall Lakes, Emily Suvaal MLC:
"This is a huge win for our local community that will improve patient outcomes and deliver faster, better quality of care to patients.
"The Minns Labor Government is dedicated to improving health outcomes in our rural and regional communities, and this initiative is just one part of our effort to improving our health system."
Quotes attributable to Labor Spokesperson for Tamworth, Anthony D'Adam MLC:
"I welcome this investment in Hunter New England Local Health District.
"I'm proud to be part of a government which is investing in initiatives which take the pressure off our busy emergency departments and ultimately improve patient experiences."
Quotes attributable to Member for HNELHD Executive Director Operations, Susan Heyman:
"We're thrilled to welcome these highly skilled patient flow concierge staff to our District, who are working collaboratively to improve patient care by streamlining processes and addressing delays.
"These roles demonstrate our commitment to patient-centred care, with a focus on ensuring those in our regional and remote communities receive timely access to care."
Quotes attributable to HNELHD Patient Access and Flow Coordinator, Jessica Crombie:
"I really enjoy making a meaningful difference to our patients' journeys and reducing delays in their care. Every day presents new challenges, but I'm committed to improving our processes."
