News & Events
Submission to the Australia 2020 summit
from the Central Coast Care Communication Network (4CN)
Each night over 2000 beds in public hospitals across Australia, at a cost of almost
$1million a night, are occupied by elderly people awaiting discharge back into the
community. One of the biggest problems facing our hospitals today is bed block.
It is preferable and more cost effective to care for aged people whenever possible,
as soon as possible, in their own homes or in other facilities.
The key to improving efficiency of the hospital discharge process is the ability
to share information between the hospitals and community care providers in order
to more efficiently coordinate the delivery of care for patients in the community.
The problem is that patient information exists in a myriad of agencies using systems
which are not connected to each other. There is no single, co-ordinated view of
a person and this creates gaps in knowledge leading to duplications in assessments
and services, inefficiency, wasted resources and inequity in care and services.
On the Central Coast of NSW, community service providers working with front line
staff from the Area Health service have developed an innovative communication and
information network, the Central Coast Care Communication Network (4CN) which has
solved this problem. The network is a secure, internet based communication platform
that allows Service and Care Providers to share information on patients/clients.
It gives an immediate view of who knows and provides services to a person which
is a significant aid to providing the most appropriate care and services to that
person. By bridging agreed data in agencies’ existing Client Management Systems
into the Care Communication Network, a community knowledge net is created on the
person and other service providers.
There is no duplicate data entry and messaging other agencies to access more detailed
information is simple and secure through the easy to use software interface. The
system provides access on a need to know basis to a wealth of information on tens
of thousands of aged patients, who receive care in the community before and after
hospital occurrences.
This will enable the better coordination of services and appropriate levels of care
for aged people across the Central Coast and should mean that high need facilities
and resources, such as Hospitals, are not overwhelmed by patients with lower needs.
This should also lead to reduced admissions and readmissions to hospitals. For those
patients who do need to call an ambulance and/or go to hospital then the information
that can be found about them through the network to enable better admission and
patient care in our hospitals.
The most significant effect will be on the improved efficiency of patient discharge
which will help to free up much needed hospital beds and resources; further reducing
bed block and waiting lists.
Care Communication Networks represent a here and now solution to enable the more
efficient delivery of care and services for our ageing population and are scalable
for deployment anywhere in Australia.
For further information please visit the (4CN) website at www.4cn.org.au or Contact Us »
Making more effective use of hospital beds and resources
According to recent reports, each night over 2000 beds in public hospitals across
Australia, at a cost of almost $1million a night, are occupied by elderly people
awaiting discharge back into the community.
Many of these elderly people remain in hospital for longer than they need to because
the care and services that are required for them to be managed at home cannot be
coordinated and set up for them in time, for them to be discharged - on time.
The key to improving efficiency of the hospital discharge process is the ability
to share information between the hospitals and community care providers in order
to more efficiently coordinate the delivery of care for patients in the community.
The problem is that patient/client information often exists in a myriad of agencies
using systems which are not connected to each other. There is no single, coordinated
view of a person and this creates gaps in knowledge, inefficient case management
of the person, gaps or duplications in care and services, inequity, additional unnecessary
cost and/or wasted resources.
On the Central Coast of NSW, community service providers working with front line
staff from the Area Health service have developed an innovative communication and
information network, the Central Coast Care Communication Network (4CN) which solves
this problem.
For further information please visit the (4CN) website at
www.4cn.org.au or Contact
Us »
Ambulances are queuing outside Hospitals waiting to discharge Patients.
According to recent reports in the Daily Telegraph and Express Advocate.
“Paramedics on the Central Coast of NSW are losing up to 1000 hours a month waiting outside clogged-up hospitals.” Some cases had to wait more than two hours. Hospital staff said that they “see them (ambulances) queuing outside but there is nothing we can do.”
The Central Coast Care Communication Network (4CN) can help by enabling a shift in care from Hospitals to Community Healthcare.
By being cared for more efficiently and effectively first in the Community, fewer patients should need to go to Hospital.
The better direction of appropriate levels of care should mean that high need facilities and resources, such as Hospitals, are not overwhelmed by Patients with lower needs. This should lead to reduced admissions to Hospitals.
For those Patients who do need to call an ambulance and/or go to Hospital then the information that can be found about them through the Care Communication Network will enable better admission and patient care in Hospitals.
For Hospital discharge planning, more efficient co-ordination between Hospitals and Community and Residential Care for Patient discharge using the Care Communication Network will help to free up Hospital beds and resources; further reducing access block and waiting lists.
For further information please Contact Us »
