Two of the nation’s busiest hospitals Liverpool and Campbelltown hospitals in Sydney's southwest will receive the funding to try and discharge hospital patients early, when clinically appropriate, to receive care at home, reducing their length of stay in hospital.
The expansion of Hospital in the Home (HITH) will hopefully relieve some of the pressure on NSW hospitals caused by aged care bed shortages. In June, The Weekly SOURCE reported there were 429 patients in NSW hospitals ready to be discharged but unable to leave hospital due to the unavailability of an aged care bed.
The NSW Government's new spending will fund an additional 3,500 HITH patients a year, which the Government estimates could release almost 9,000 hospital beds annually. In the last 12 months, 5,300 NSW patients have been treated through HITH.
To support scaling up the program, NSW Government will try to increase staff numbers, roll out virtual care infrastructure, and lower the threshold for eligibility to HITH.
