IMPAC: Inner Melbourne Post Acute Care

Get high-quality support while you recover from hospital.

What we provide:

Inner Melbourne Post Acute Care helps people recover at home following a stay in a public hospital. A variety of services can be arranged and funded. Some of the most common services we arrange are:

• home care
• personal care
• shopping assistance
• nursing
• physiotherapy
• industrial cleaning
• respite or emergency accommodation.

Post Acute Care aims to:

• support healing and recovery
• fill the gap until longer-term services commence
• reduce the risk of re-admission to hospital
• provide a rapid response
• provide a flexible service that responds to each client’s particular needs.

The Care Coordinator will:

• telephone you and your family to discuss and arrange services
• purchase the services needed through contracted providers
• work with any community service agencies who are involved with your care
• monitor service and care needs through regular phone contact with you, your family and other involved agencies
• liaise with agencies that will provide longer term services, like local councils
• make referrals to other community agencies if needed
• provide feedback and follow up with the hospital and general practitioner if needed.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Post Acute Care, you must:

• have come home from a public hospital or public emergency department within the last 28 days
• be a resident of the cities of Yarra, Boroondara, Melbourne or the suburbs of Alphington, Fairfield, Northcote and Thornbury.

How to make a referral for a patient:

Hospital staff such as nurses, doctors, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists should contact Inner Melbourne Post Acute Care prior to their patient’s discharge.

It is recommended that hospital staff call Inner Melbourne Post Acute Care program to discuss:

• eligibility
• care needs
• service availability
• other community referrals.

Referral can be made using any referral or assessment tool (for example, this PAC referral form) as long as it contains the following information:

• client demographics (including medicare number)
• information about health conditions and care needs
• client’s consent
• risk assessment if already completed
• relevant allied health assessments, wound care chart and medication orders if applicable.

North Richmond Community Health’s Inner Melbourne Post-Acute Care service is supported by the Victorian Government.