Role Title: Improving Aged Care Pathways and Reducing Hospital Length of Stay Intern
Organisation: South Metropolitan Health Service
Internship Period: Summer (November - December)
Location: Rockingham
At Rockingham Peel Group, we are committed to providing best-practice care for older adults and continuously improving patient outcomes. A key focus is reducing hospital length of stay for patients aged 65 years and over who require access to aged care services, including residential aged care, home support services, transitional care, and carer support. Extended hospital stays can increase the risk of hospital-acquired complications, reduce patient independence, and contribute to bed pressure within the health service.
This project will involve working alongside the Aged Care Team to identify and implement best-practice approaches that support timely access to aged care services, improve patient flow, and reduce avoidable or social admissions to hospital.
The intern will be supported by members of the multidisciplinary team and will:
• Review relevant aged care and health service guidelines, policies, and evidence-based literature relating to discharge planning, residential aged care pathways, and admission avoidance strategies.
• Develop and utilise a gap analysis tool to identify current practices, best-practice recommendations, and opportunities for service improvement.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders through interviews, meetings, and correspondence to better understand existing processes, resources, and barriers to timely discharge.
• Map current patient pathways and identify factors contributing to delayed discharges and prolonged hospital stays.
WA Health is Western Australia’s public health system. With a State spanning over 2.5 million square kilometres, it is the largest area in the world covered by a single health authority. Our strategic priorities are focused on ensuring that Western Australians receive safe, high quality and accessible health care, no matter where they live.