The first patients have been welcomed to the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) step-down healthcare service at College Grove in Walkerville, with 10 beds providing immediate care for patients who no longer need to remain in hospital.
The CALHN step-down healthcare model is a collaboration between CALHN and Amplar Health. In the first phase of the 50-step-down beds, 10 beds are now providing intermediate care.
Those using the services are often facing external barriers to return to community living such as awaiting aged care placements, needing convalescent care, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) planning or pre-and-post-operative care. It offers a structured, supportive environment for gradual transition back to the community following a hospital stay, providing appropriate care outside of a hospital setting, ensuring the right support matches the patient's needs. Importantly – it frees up hospital beds.
South Australian Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Blair Boyer said,
Our hospitals are under enormous pressure, and we need to do things differently. Alternative models of care are crucial to provide a high-quality public health system for the 21st century.
“We are making sure hospital beds are available for patients who truly need acute care, while supporting others to recover in a more appropriate setting. By improving patient flow, we’re strengthening the entire health system and helping reduce pressure on emergency departments.”
Amplar Health Home Hospital, Hub Lead and Chief Executive, Sarah McRae added, “Australia’s health system is undergoing a significant transition, and services like College Grove reflect the smarter, more flexible models of care needed to meet that change.”
We’re proud to partner with SA Health to deliver a service that not only improves patient flow, but ensures people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. We hope to see more jurisdictions across the country follow this lead, embracing innovative step-down models that ease pressure on hospitals while delivering high quality, patient-centred care in more appropriate settings.
