When you are discharged from hospital you are still in a time of recovery. The Post Acute Care (PAC) service can organise short term specific services that will make your recovery easier.

Who we care for

If you have been discharged from a public hospital service you may be eligible for up to four weeks of services additional to your existing supports. They include:

  • Personal care (PCA) - for hygiene assistance.
  • General home care (GHC) - cleaning of floors, bathrooms, toilets and linen change/laundry.
  • Shopping assistance - essential items when other options not available i.e. no family, friends. The carer attends, collects a list and money and completes the shopping.
  • In home respite - to allow care giver to rest, shop, pay bills.
  • Occupational Therapy (OT) - home assessment if required, as soon as available following discharge and identified by inpatient OT.
  • New born and children’s nurse home visit program.
  • Community Nursing Service.

How to access this service

PAC does not replace existing services that you were receiving prior to your hospital admission. For example if you were receiving assistance through the Council we would expect that Council services would recommence on discharge. We can ‘top-up’ services but we do not replace services.

PAC coordinators will speak with you and your family and organise services to assist you.

You will need to be home at the time of the visits and you will need to contact the PAC coordinators if you are unable to be there.

Services can be organised to continue following PAC involvement - the coordinators can help you with this. These services may involve some costs.

PAC can be contacted on 03 5454 9102.

Bendigo Hospital

Access via Mercy Street

Location

100 Barnard Street, Bendigo, VIC, 3550

Phone

03 5454 6000

How to refer your patient

Prior to referring to PAC we would expect that you have discussed services that were in place prior to the patient’s hospital admission.  For example a patient may be on a Home Care Package (HCP). In this instance we would expect you contact their case manager to determine what assistance the patient was receiving prior to admission. PAC can ‘top up’ services but we do not replace existing services.

Timely referrals are needed in order for PAC to set up and arrange service provision based on availability of carers. The coordinators can be contacted 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri.

It is important to include as much information as possible regarding the reason for referral to enable appropriate services to be put into place. The referrer’s name needs to be listed and the predicted discharge date included.

Referrals external to the Bendigo Health campus can received via fax (03) 5454 7099 or via email: [email protected] and the service can be contacted via (03) 5454 9102.

Clinical service overview

PAC is a state funded program for patients discharged from a public hospital to a Victorian address and are assessed as requiring additional services for up to 4 weeks following discharge.

PAC assists in the safe and pre-planned discharge from hospital with short-term community support for patients at risk, particularly those with complex needs, the frail aged, those with disabilities and those living at home without community supports. Patients are not automatically entitled to services and are required to be assessed to determine their eligibility.

PAC is available for patients discharged from:

  • Bendigo Health Acute Services – includes all acute wards, ED presentations, Day Procedure, Oncology/Radiotherapy
  • Bendigo Health Subacute Services – includes Hospice, Rehabilitation, Geriatric Evaluation & Management (GEM), Older Persons Unit (Aged Psychiatric Services)
  • Other Victorian hospitals [Metro and Rural], GPs, self-referrals, families and other health agencies for patients living in or discharged to the Bendigo Region. Please contact the coordinators on (03) 5454 9102 to discuss referrals from outside the Bendigo Health admission environment.

PAC works on a brokerage model of care – i.e. PAC funds services with private agencies to provide care. 

PAC provides agencies with specific and detailed instructions regarding individual client care needs and we request feedback from carers if problems arise.

Services funded include:

  • Personal care (PCA) – for hygiene assistance. Meals on Wheels are not funded by PAC, but information on delivered meals can be provided.
  • General home care (GHC) – cleaning of floors, bathrooms, toilets and linen change/laundry.
  • Shopping assistance – essential items when other options are not available i.e. no family, friends. The carer attends, collects a list and money and completes the shopping.
  • In home respite – to allow care giver to rest, shop and pay bills.
  • Occupational Therapy – home assessment if required, as soon as available following discharge and identified by inpatient OT.
  • Funding for paediatric and neonatal home visit program. Referrals are made directly to a local service. PAC will then arrange funding as required.
  • Access to PAC Nursing Service. Referrals are made directly to PAC Intake including regional areas by ward staff. PAC will then arrange funding as required.

Bendigo Hospital

Access via Mercy Street

Location

100 Barnard Street, Bendigo, VIC, 3550

Phone

03 5454 6000