PAH Project Lead, Gay Morey, with Carmel Carroll (Project Support).

Yea GP clinicians will be involved with Seymour Health, and consumers will work together as part of a new project to identify reasons which may prevent the use of available community services, in an effort to reduce potentially avoidable hospitalisations.

The “Potentially Avoidable Hospitalisations” (PAH) project is a six-month undertaking initiated by Seymour Health and supported by funding from Murray Primary Health Network through the Australian Government’s PHN Program.

The project aims to avoid admissions to hospital that could have potentially been prevented through the provision of appropriate non-hospital health services.

The PAH project will focus on reducing numbers of preventable unplanned presentations to the Urgent Care Centre and admissions to the acute service. It will also enhance partnerships in chronic disease management.

Seymour Health will work collaboratively with local GP clinics to identify any gaps in service delivery and/or referrals to chronic disease management programs offered at Seymour Health.

Monthly outreach clinics will be conducted at each of the two Seymour GP clinics (Goulburn River Group Practice and Seymour Medical Clinic), Broadford Medical Centre and Yea Medical Centre; providing education and support to improve health outcomes to patients with chronic conditions.

Nurses involved in the PAH project are all highly qualified in chronic disease management. Seymour Health PAH Project Lead, Gay Morey said that visits have recently been conducted at each of the GP Clinics to introduce the exciting new PAH project.

“All participating clinics will have surveys available from 1st August, running through until the end of the month. These surveys will help identify gaps and barriers that may prevent consumers from using existing community services, and increase awareness of the services available; so we encourage all to keep an eye out to complete them.”

It is anticipated that the project will increase awareness of the chronic disease management support available at Seymour Health and in the greater community.

This would strengthen the number of patients educated to self-manage their chronic condition; thereby reducing the number who present to the Urgent Care Centre. Seymour Health has a Hospital Admission Risk Program that provides care co-ordination to clients living with chronic disease in the Mitchell and Murrindindi Shires.

Eligible patients identified under the PAH project could then potentially be referred to the HARP.

The PAH project will conclude on December 31.

– Contributed