RAMSAY PEOPLE
Clinic to community: growing allied health services
People can now access a wide range of allied
health services – whether or not they are
admitted to hospital – at 17 Ramsay Health
Care sites across Australia.
The outpatient service, called Ramsay Health Plus
(RHP), provides people with greater choice and
flexibility to ultimately aid their recovery.
The service offers professionals experienced in:
• Dietetics
• Occupational therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Exercise Physiology
• Psychology
• Midwifery
• Speech Pathology
National Manager of Ramsay Health Plus, Ian Galvin,
said there has been an increasing demand from the
community to grow the service.
“For many years our clinicians reported that patients in
Ramsay Health Care facilities would ask, ‘Can I come
back here to continue my recovery with you and this
wonderful team?’ As the health care industry seeks to
ensure consumers experience a seamless transition
between care settings, we have started to make a
small but meaningful improvement for those people in
our care,” Mr Galvin said.
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Benefits of the service include access to multiple
therapies in one location, individually designed
programs, long-term management of a range of health
conditions and assistance to transition back into
community roles.
Ramsay Health Plus is accessible at locations across
Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western
Australia.
Cairns, Sunshine Coast University, Kareena, Donvale
and Attadale have recently started providing
ambulatory services to people attending from their
local communities.
RHP facilities are now treating almost 4,000
ambulatory patients per month, with a further six
sites expected to begin providing these clinic and
community-based services later this year.
“Programs such as the Recover and Rebuild cancer
rehabilitation program at RHP Hollywood are an
excellent example of the way in which our teams are
aiding recovery and improvements in quality of life for
people living with long term conditions,” Mr Galvin said.
“We expect to see further service development
in the areas of orthopaedics, cancer and cardiac
rehabilitation and community nursing services for new
parents in the coming months.”
For a list of sites involved, please visit
www.ramsayhealthplus.com.au.
The National Patient Information
Consumer Group is the primary
mechanism for involving consumers
in the evaluation of information and
services provided for patients. It ensures
patients and carers are supported by
our hospitals and have the chance to be
represented in health care decisions.
In less than three years, the group has provided
feedback to improve:
• More than 100 patient brochures, information
sheets, posters, hospital booklets and care
instructions.
• The online admission process for general
patients and maternity patients.
• Our facilities’ websites and the ways in which we
report our clinical performance.
All patient information reviewed by the National
Patient Information Consumer Group is marked
with a Consumer Endorsed logo.
New programs to tackle
substance use and anxiety
The Southport Private Hospital Wellness
Centre has recently designed and
successfully run a number of new group
programs.
The first course to be rolled out was the Anxiety and
Mood Program - an essential skills training program
for adults. This ten-week plan has been developed
for people who have been diagnosed with a mood
or anxiety disorder and who want to enhance their
emotion regulation, coping and life skills.
The program is based on Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Interventions have been developed from evidence-based
research into what is most effective in the
treatment of anxiety and mood disorders.
The hospital also has a new alcohol and substance
use program which is suitable for adults who have
previously made positive changes to their substance
use and who wish to maintain their progress in
treatment.
This 10 week program offers ongoing psychological
support and group therapy to prevent relapse back
into substance misuse. The program includes modules
aimed at strengthening motivation to maintain
change, coping with cravings and triggers, managing
emotional issues, and mindfulness, relaxation and
lifestyle balance.
Did you know?