Ms Stephanie Looi1
1NSW Ambulance, Sydney, Australia
Biography:
Stephanie is the Associate Director, Clinical Programs at NSW Ambulance. In this role she leads a team that design and deliver a range of strategic and innovation clinical programs that span acute care, low acuity care, and mental health programs through clinical practice, research, education and integrated care initiatives.
Abstract:
Background
Over the past 5 years there has been an increase in the number of Triple Zero (000) calls and responses by NSW Ambulance. At the same time, there have been increases in presentations to emergency departments, across most triage categories. Ambulance referral to non-Emergency Department (ED) services are often a pillar of ED demand management strategies.
NSW Ambulance has developed a referral pathway program, that seeks to link paramedics to non-admitted services in a governed manner avoiding ED where clinically appropriate.
Methods
Each pathway is developed jointly by NSW Ambulance and the receiving service. NSW Ambulance works collaboratively with the service to fully detail the referral pathway, including clinical and non-clinical aspects of the service, escalation pathways, incident management, and data requirements.
This is documented formally and endorsed by both organisations before implementation.
There is continuing oversight and relationship management with the service allowing patient safety concerns to be addressed and ensuring that any changes to the service can be documented and communicated.
Results and Conclusion
In FY23-24, 32 new referral pathways have been implemented. Each of these pathways is a collaboration between a non-ED service and NSW Ambulance, and represents a partnership in patient centred care.
Ambulance referrals to non-ED services can be an important component of a demand management strategy, however to ensure patient safety, adequate governance needs to be placed around the referral.