Support Services in the Region
On this page:
Community Palliative Care Aged Care Teams
Residential In Reach Services
Palliative Care Outreach Service
Virtual Victorian Emergency Department
North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network
Community Palliative Care Aged Care Teams
Community Palliative Care – Aged Care Teams, seek to improve palliative and end-of-life care for older people living in residential aged care homes. Together with the RACH staff and supportive services, aged care teams enable residents to remain in their home for end-of-life care.
The oversight of the resident’s care will remain with the current providers – GPs and RACF nursing staff. Aged Care Teams work from a consultative model and include Clinical Nurse Consultants and other team members (Social Work, Physicians etc). Consultation with your aged care team can occur via regular needs rounds.
Where a resident has life limiting illness and has one or more of the needs listed below, a referral should be considered:
- palliative symptom management advice that can’t be addressed by RACH
- goals of care and/or an end-of-life care plan is needed
- anticipatory EOL medications need to be identified
- the resident and/or family exhibit significant psychosocial/existential distress or concern about dying
- the resident is transferred to RACF for end-of-life care with current symptom issues
- complex discussions with the resident and/or family are needed regarding end-of-life care.
Community Palliative Care provides specialist and holistic care. This can include nursing care, allied health, practical support, information, education, equipment, medication management, bereavement support and access to medical review and assessment. Community palliative care services providing palliative care aged care teams in our region are:
- Banksia Palliative Care Service covering the local government areas of Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea.
- Melbourne City Mission Palliative Care Service covering the local government areas of Yarra, Darebin, Merri-bek and Hume.
- Mercy Palliative Care Service covering the local government areas of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribrynong, Melbourne, Melton, Moonee Valley and Wyndham.
Click here to find the Community palliative care service for your area.
Residential In-Reach Services
Residential in-reach provides acute support to residential aged care facilities to reduce the risk of residents going to hospital unnecessarily. The following links provide information about Residential In-Reach services in our catchment:
- Austin Health
- Northern Health
- St Vincent’s Hospital
- The Royal Melbourne Hospital
- Werribee Mercy
- Western Heath
Palliative Care Outreach Service (RAPID)
The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre provide a same day specialised palliative care assessment of residents and their carers with urgent palliative care needs called . This service is contacted via the mobile number 0439 573 526.
Virtual Victorian Emergency Department (VVED)
The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED), a public health service for non-life-threatening emergencies. Access emergency care for aged care residents from anywhere in Victoria, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Click here for direct access to the aged care service.
North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network
The primary health network has developed an after-hours healthcare toolkit for residential aged care homes.