Mrs Tameeka Thompson1
1Peninsula Health, FRANKSTON, Australia
Biography:
Tameeka is the Senior Social Worker of the At Home Subacute Program at Peninsula Health. She has over 11 years of experience in the Hospital system as a Social Worker and currently leads a team of 3 Social Work Clinicians.
This is her first experience in conducting Research work.
Abstract:
Background
Rising demand for inpatient care nationwide has prompted shifts towards innovative healthcare models outside traditional hospital settings. Peninsula Health’s At Home Subacute (AHS) program commenced in 2021 as a pioneering bed-substitution program, with access to an Allied Health team including Social Work (SW).
Aims:
This study aimed to evaluate the AHS SW service; referral types received, SW achievements with clients and what more they achieve.
Method:
– Data was obtained on discharge from the SW service in 2024.
– Data points included: referral numbers, referral reasons, interventions actioned, and additional actions completed.
– Data was analysed using frequency statistics.
Results
– Of the 488 referrals to AHS SW service, 348 were seen by SW.
– 84.5% had all referral reason/s addressed. Unaddressed referrals were due to discharges changing, transfer to inpatient setting, or client declining.
– Notably, over 65% of patients were referred for multiple reasons, almost 59% required additional interventions and less than 55% of Family Violence interventions received a referral.
Common interventions included:
–Service discussion/referral (64.6%); Carer stress (39.3%); emotional support (37%); client care needs (27.9%); family violence (17.8%).
Discussion
In 2024, AHS SW service addressed referral reasons for majority of clients and many clients required additional interventions.
The AHS SW service largely provided support related to service discussion, and importantly provided 182% more intervention for Family Violence than referrals received.
This evaluation highlights the potential for similar models to be integrated across public healthcare networks to meet diverse client needs comprehensively and efficiently in a non-traditional way.