Post Acute Care

What we do

Our Post Acute Care (PAC) service provides support and care for patients and consumers to recover at home after they leave hospital. 

Post Acute Care offers a range of services including:

• Community nursing
• Allied health
• Home and personal care assistance
• Ongoing care

Community nursing

We provide short-term home nursing for people who require additional assistance after a hospital stay. PAC will fund up to seven nursing visits and these can generally be provided up to once daily. Services available include:

• Wound care
• Medication administration
• Review of stoma or catheter care

Patients requiring acute nursing care including titration of warfarin or insulin, complex wound care (for example, VAC dressings) and IV therapy or antibiotics are not suitable for PAC.

In these instances the RMH@Home service may be suitable or the patient may seek assistance from their health professional.

Allied health

We provide short-term allied health for people who require additional assistance after a hospital stay.

Services available include:

• Physiotherapy
• Speech therapy

Patients may be suitable for allied health input:

• While awaiting mainstream services through Community Therapy Services or community health services
• When short-term input will avoid the need for referral to mainstream services and/or if immediate input will assist in optimising patient function and quality of life

Home and personal care assistance

We provide practical assistance for patients with the transition home after a hospital stay.

Services available include:

• Home help (assistance with cleaning)
• In-home respite (providing carer support)
• Personal care assistance (showering and bathing)
• Assistance with shopping and banking

In some instances PAC will also assist with funding an industrial clean or emergency accommodation for patients where their home environment is not suitable for discharge.

The patient or their health professional should contact PAC to discuss referrals of this nature as management approval is required.

Ongoing care

If ongoing assistance is needed after PAC, this may be available through other programs such as Home and Community Care (HACC) and Subacute Ambulatory Care Services (SACS). 

The patient should talk with their healthcare team at the hospital before they leave the hospital.

PAC services are available for up to 28 days after your hospital stay. PAC services are free, however people may be required to contribute to the cost of consumables (such as wound dressings).

Who can use our service

The program is available for people living in the cities of Moreland, Moonee Valley and some suburbs of Hume.

If the patient does not live within the Royal Melbourne Hospital PAC area, they are still able to receive PAC services from another health service provider. 

As PAC is a time-limited service, it is expected that the referring hospital will complete referrals for any ongoing services required after the PAC episode of care.