Ballina Hospital to get Rehabilitation/Transition Care beds
Eighteen Rehabilitation/Transition Care beds will be established at Ballina Hospital under a revamp of services.
North Coast Area Health Service chief executive Chris Crawfored said that from mid-January 2007, the NCAHS will assume direct responsibility for providing rehabilitation beds and Aged Care Assessment Team services in the Richmond Valley, following a decision by St Vincent’s Hospital Lismore to close its 25-bed rehabilitation unit on 15 December 2006.
“NCAHS learnt of the decision by St Vincent’s Hospital to withdraw from rehabilitation bed provision in a letter dated 3 October 2006. The decision came as a surprise and a disappointment,” Mr Crawford said.
“We would rather St Vincent’s Hospital have continued to provide rehabilitation services until the preferred chosen model for offering rehabilitation services in both Ballina and Lismore is put in place.
“Immediately upon learning of St Vincent’s Hospital’s decision, NCAHS began developing a contingency plan to end the uncertainty about the provision of rehabilitation services by ensuring continuity of service provision and continuity of employment for staff.
“The contingency plan, which has been approved by the Department of Health, will enable rehabilitation beds to be established in both Lismore and Ballina, so that Rehabilitation and Transition Care type patients can continue to receive treatment.
“Under the contingency plan from mid-January 2007, 18 Rehabilitation/Transition Care beds will be established in new accommodation at Ballina Hospital and 12 Rehabilitation beds will be established at Lismore Base Hospital (LBH).
“These beds will be open seven days per week and will on an annual basis provide 8058 bed days of rehabilitation care, which compares favourably with the 8012 bed days of rehabilitation care provided by St Vincent’s Hospital in 2005/06.”
Mr Crawford said the needs of local rehabilitation patients will be properly provided for, while job security will be guaranteed for the approximately 50 Full Time Equivalent public health staff at St Vincent’s Hospital who will be displaced by the closure.
He said Rehabilitation patients who would otherwise have been cared for at St Vincent’s Hospital will be admitted to the replacement facilities at Lismore Base and Ballina Hospital from mid-January 2007. During the Christmas/New Year downturn period patients will as usual be transferred from rehabilitation to beds in hospital ward accommodation.
October 21st, 2007 at 11:30 am
i would appreciate any help that i can get to assist my father in law in getting transferred from st vincents hospital to Ballina for rehab, he has just had his leg amputated from just below the knee down and is not recovering very well, his wife is unable to visit as she lives in Ballina and is also unwell herself … they both need to be close to each other to assist the recovery process, i have made a few calls but every thing seems to be full …. after reading the above article i was hoping that maybe someone could offer some advice … many thanx :)