Aged Care & Rehabilitation Clinical Services Plan 2007 – 2012

Aged Care & Rehabilitation Clinical Service Plan 2007 - 2012the centre of ageing within Australia. This project involves leading national research in ageing and iscentred within Concord Hospital. The CERA laboratory research in the Basic Sciences Laboratoriesand the ANZAC Institute also continues to be highly successful in terms of grants and publications,with a steady increase in post graduate students. As a result of this activity, CRGH has beensuccessful in attracting specialist medical registrars and junior medical staff to Concord Hospital,with many continuing on to research Masters and PhD qualifications (with approximately 12 medicalpractitioners completing or enrolled in PhD and Masters programmes since 2001).Such growth has enormous benefits for the hospital in terms of national and international reputationand attraction of high quality medical staff, as well as providing a milieu that supports and developsnursing and allied health professionals. Given the rate of growth of CERA and the ageing of thepopulation, it is likely that the spatial requirements of the unit will at least double in the next 10 years.Aged Care research in the south west has a focus on multidisciplinary, clinically based research intogeriatric syndromes such as falls prevention and management, and cognitive assessments, inparticular, multicultural cognitive assessment. These services have not as yet been integrated into aspecific academic unit, although it is a recommendation of both The Way Forward and this Plan thatsuch a unit is created. The recent appointment of a Research Manager to implement the $1 millionAustralian Government funded Pathways Home Research Project, will facilitate early development ofthis unit, particularly in relation to formalizing links with other academic units within SSWAHS, withUniversities and post-graduate students.Rehabilitation services in SSWAHS have an active interest in research around a range of themesincluding multidisciplinary teams and their effect on patient care; patient outcomes particularly inrelation to stroke, cancer and amputee rehabilitation; the availability of day hospital rehabilitation;comparisons of different models of rehabilitation care and factors effecting length of stay andfunctional outcomes. Services are also collaborating on international research, on the developmentand validation of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health core sets for stroke,brain injury and cancer.In addition, the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit has a well developed research program with stronglinks to the University of Sydney’s Rehabilitation Studies Unit. Brain Injury research in SSWAHS hasbeen successful in attracting external funding, and post-graduate students involved in research intovarious physiological, psychological and social factors associated with brain injury.To progress research and teaching in the south west, there is a need for additional support staff,including access to statistical support services.Consistent with the recommendations from The Way Forward, there is a need to develop a full timeacademic presence for Aged Care in the south west, in collaboration with the Universities of NSWand Western Sydney. A similar presence should also be established for rehabilitation services. Thisis required in response to the ageing population and particularly, the need for training and support ofthe health workforce in responding to the needs of aged care and rehabilitation clients.The role of the unit would include the development of multidisciplinary education and researchprograms and the establishment of a support unit to enhance education services within the Area,and to improve the quality of care of the aged care and rehabilitation client. These units wouldcomplement the role of the CERA.It is proposed that the Aged Care and Rehabilitation Research Unit will be housed with AC&RSwithin the Liverpool Hospital Stage 2 redevelopment, whilst the Brain Injury Rehabilitation ResearchUnit will be colocated with the proposed new research facility at Liverpool Hospital.Recommendation – Research and EducationStrengthen the capacity of SSWAHS to undertake research and education in aged care andrehabilitationPage 77