The Immediate Response Service provides short term assistance and support to people at risk of presenting to a Western Health Emergency Department.
The team is made up of transprofessional Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Social Work staff, based at Footscray Hospital and Sunshine Hospital, with consultancy to Williamstown Hospital. This means that any of our staff may be able to conduct clinical assessment and intervention as required.
Our Service
The service aims to improve health outcomes for the frail aged, complex and socially disadvantaged patients with complex psycho-social needs. The Immediate Response Service is based at both Sunshine Hospital and Footscray Hospital Emergency Departments and provides:
Rapid identification, assessment and care coordination to fast track patients through the Emergency Department
Generic and discipline specific assessments including occupational therapy, physiotherapy and aged care
Specialised consultations and care planning
Clinical pharmacy
Outreach/Inreach assessments taking referrals from community providers including Residential Aged Care Facilities, G.P's, Ambulance Victoria
Specialised clinical support such as the management of PEG tubes, IDC/SPC management and wound management
Our exclusion criteria includes:
Emergency Department Assessment
Immediate Response Service clinicians actively screen all patients presenting to the Emergency Department at Footscray Hospital and Sunshine Hospital and prioritise assessments to improve discharge outcomes. Assessments are holistic in nature with the aim of identifying issues that will affect the patients safe discharge from ED. Some of the areas of assessment include:
After thorough assessment, the Immediate Response Service clinicians will develop a plan for to optimize the safe discharge of the patient home. Some interventions that may be implemented can include:
Referral to a community/local government service for assistance
Referral to a Western Health community based service
Outreach visit (for patients in a private dwelling or supported accommodation)
Inreach visit (for patients from a Residential Aged Care Facility)
Community Outreach Service
The service aims to prevent potentially avoidable presentations to the Emergency Department and provides rapid response and short term nursing and allied health support in patient's homes.
Usually outreach provides support where a gap in existing services occur (e.g. long wait list for community rehabilitation) if the gap may cause the patient to present to hospital while waiting.
Community outreach accepts referrals from:
Outreach can provide discipline specific services from:
Residential Inreach Service
Our staff have experience and qualifications in Aged Care, Emergency, Education, Acute Medicine and Wound Consultancy. We provide a rapid service to provide support to Residential Aged Care Facility staff to assist with caring for their residents.
The service focuses on:
Building rapport and trust
Capacity building
Providing education and resources
Providing clinical support
As the service hours extend outside of normal business hours it provides staff who work evenings and weekends with an alternative to sending the resident into the Emergency Department.
The service offers, but is not limited to:
Telephone Consultancy
Assessment of the Unwell Resident
PEG Management
IDC/SPC Management
Wound Assessment and Management
Palliative Care
Advance Care Planning
Facility staff education
Fast track to outpatients and day procedure including:
Radiology
Specialist Appointments
Blood Transfusions
Referral Process
We provide services Monday –Friday 8.00 am – 9.00pm and Weekends 8.00am- 4.00pm.
Initial Contact or referral to the IRS can be made by contacting the IRS Intake Clinician on 0419 392 030.
Contact Us
Phone: 0419 392 030
