About the project
This initiative aims to:
- reduce avoidable admissions for people living with chronic conditions in Victoria, with a focus on childhood asthma, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, diabetes and heart failure.
- reduce system-level costs.
- improve the delivery of evidence based care to consumers.
These reductions can result in:
- increased hospital capacity
- improvements in quality of care and clinical outcomes
- more efficient use of resources and space
- improvements in consumer experience of the health system
- potential to avoid serious adverse patient safety events
As part of this initiative, participating health services will receive upskilling and coaching support in improvement science methodology.
Background
Older adults in Australia experience a higher rate of potentially preventable hospitalisations compared to those under 65 years, with 6,900 hospitalisations per 100,000 people in 2021-22 compared with Australians aged under 65 years (1,700 hospitalisations per 100,000 people).
Potentially preventable hospitalisations for this cohort can:
- negatively impact quality of life
- lead to deconditioning, subsequent loss of independence and exposure to hospital acquired complications.
Currently one in 6 Australians are aged ≥65 years, and this is expected to increase to almost one in 4 by 2066, which will place significant additional demand on the health system.
With such a large proportion of potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPH) linked to chronic disease and older adults, there is significant opportunity for improvement initiatives targeting these cohorts to provide benefits, including better and safer care delivery, better patient outcomes and experience and more cost effective and efficient use of hospital resources.
How to get involved
If you have any questions please contact staywellstayhome@safercare.vic.gov.au.
Priority area
This project supports our broader effort to reduce avoidable hospital admissions.