Rapid Response Nurses from the Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre (WWCCAC) will care for patients with complicated health needs in consultation with care coordinators, community nurses and other community health providers by providing care at home within the first 24 hours after the patient is discharged home from the hospital.
As part of a provincial initiative, six rapid response nurses are being hired by the WWCCAC to provide enhanced front-line care to some the most vulnerable patients: frail seniors and adults, and children with complex, serious illnesses.
Although patients prefer to be at home after their acute care needs have been met in a hospital, some patients end up returning to the hospital shortly after they have been discharged because they did not receive the clinical care they needed to help them return home.
Over 35,000 patients each year depend on WWCCAC care coordinators who are regulated health care professionals – nurses, social workers, occupational therapists – to lead their clinical care at home. Now, WWCCAC will be able to intervene to support patients with a range of transitional care needs to successfully return home from the hospital.
The nurses will be responsible for ensuring the patient is connected to a primary care provider and has an appointment within seven days after discharge from hospital.
Rapid response nurses will help patients:
– understand their illness and symptoms;
– understand their hospital discharge plan;
– understand how to take prescribed medications;
– arrange for follow-up medical appointments or tests;
– connect with their primary care providers, ensuring everyone has necessary information, about each step of the patient’s journey; and
– receive appropriate home supports as quickly as possible so that they have everything they need to stay at home safely.
Officials say CCACs know the communities they serve and help people connect to the right health care, at the right time, in the right place. CCACs connect people with the health and support services they need to:
– remain at home;
– avoid hospital admission;
– access support upon discharge from hospital; and
– explore long-term care options.
For further information, contact Lee-Ann Murray, client services manager at 519-883-5500 extension 2215.
The WWCCAC is one of 14 CCACs in the province. In 2011-12 the organization helped 36,000 people of all ages access the health and support services they need to stay in their own home, return safely to home from hospital, or to prevent unnecessary hospital admission.
The access centre also helped over 1,800 people make the transition into long-term care.
This year the WWCCAC celebrates 40 years of publicly-funded home and community care in Ontario (http://youtube/KScnwOnTv60).
