A Medical Day Hub is officially open in Geelong to help provide specialist care and services for the community.
The purpose-built facility opened on level three of Barwon Health’s University Hospital Geelong on September 8, which brought together four existing services into one integrated space.
Barwon Health chief executive Frances Diver said patients could access the Hospital in the Home, Early Access Clinic, Medical Day Stay Unit, and the Transit Lounge services through the hub.
“The facility is designed to support the workforce, offering staff development opportunities and enabling models of care that allow staff to work to their full scope of practice,” she said.
“It will streamline processes, reduce duplication of service functions and standardise operating procedures… and no existing services are being cut as this is a service enhancement, not a reduction.
“By co-locating these services in one modern facility, we can make it easier for patients to access day-based care, reduce duplication, and ensure our highly skilled teams can work together more efficiently.”
Ms Diver said the new hub would provide timely and day-based care through specialist services for the community and was designed to be future-proof.
“Patients will benefit from improved service access and a more coordinated care experience in a modern, comfortable environment,” she said.
“This is about providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time, improving patient flow and reducing demand on inpatient beds and the emergency department.”
Member for Geelong Christine Couzens said the overall purpose of the new hub was to improve patient flow throughout the hospital so people could get easier access to the services they needed.
“Instead of patients waiting for hours in the emergency department to be seen, patients who need a bed and more direct care can be easily admitted to the day stay unit,” she said.
“For the community, this means our loved ones can get the right level of care they need, at the right time when it matters most… and it is truly a great pleasure to see this design finally come to life.”
Ms Couzens said Geelong was the proud home of Barwon Health University Hospital, with the new hub offering many benefits for the community.
“The facility is designed to accommodate 10 treatment chairs, designated trolley spaces, and a multiple of private consult rooms,” she said.
“The transit lounge features another nine chairs and is a comfortable waiting area where patients can be transferred in from the emergency department, initiating better flow in and out of the hospital.
“It will also give university nursing students and medical professionals future opportunities to experience different challenges and changes in a multi-skilled environment during student placement.”
