Health professionals

My Home Hospital is a public hospital-level service that delivers medical care to patients in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.

What is My Home Hospital?

My Home Hospital is a public hospital-level service that delivers medical care to patients in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. The service is available at no charge to eligible public patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week across the metropolitan Adelaide area.

My Home Hospital is available for a range of conditions, for which in-home care is considered appropriate. My Home Hospital brings the care to the patient in the form of doctors, nurses, allied health practitioners, some x-rays and blood tests, medication and other support services such as meals and personal care, if necessary.

Patients may be eligible for My Home Hospital if they have a variety of conditions, including but not limited to:

  • Cellulitis
  • Respiratory infections or inflammations
  • Pulmonary Embolism
  • Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  • Deep Venous Thrombosis
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Lymphoma
  • Heart Failure
  • Chest Pain
  • Breast Disorders
  • Aftercare of musculoskeletal implants of prostheses
  • Osteomyelitis

Who can refer to My Home Hospital?

Patients can be referred to My Home Hospital by their GP, medical specialist, a nurse practitioner, a paramedic or from an emergency department or hospital.
The referral form (PDF 265KB) can be accessed below:

Referral form (PDF 260KB)

Do patients have to pay?

My Home Hospital is a Wellbeing SA service, available at no cost to eligible public patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week across metropolitan Adelaide.

What are the eligibility criteria?

To be eligible and suitable to receive acute hospital level care in their home the patient must:

  • provide consent to receive services from My Home Hospital;
  • residing in the Adelaide metropolitan area or, from 1 July 2021, the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network (either usually, or while admitted to My Home Hospital);
  • require a minimum of daily clinical care, but do not require 24 hour observation;
  • be over 13 years of age;
  • have access to a mobile phone or landline and be able to make and receive phone calls;
  • have a safe and suitable home environment to receive their care; and
  • be assessed as clinically appropriate to receive care at home.

Clinical advice and support for referrers about patient suitability for My Home Hospital, and diagnostic work-up that may be required is available from the Virtual Care Centre 24/7 (including weekends and public holidays) on 1800 111 644 (1800 111 MHH).

To view more detailed information on patient suitability for My Home Hospital, you can also view the following fact sheets:

What happens when I refer a patient to My Home Hospital?

There is a simple process for referring a patient to My Home Hospital

If you have questions regarding eligibility or want to confirm any details of the service, you can call 1800 111 644 at any time, 24/7, 365 days a year.

If your patient is eligible and would like to receive their care at home, you will need to complete a referral form (PDF 265KB) and send it to My Home Hospital via fax or email. The contact details are on the form.

Referral form (PDF 260KB)

Once a referral has been received by My Home Hospital, we confirm the patient’s eligibility and then contact the patient to admit them to My Home Hospital. We will also contact the referrer for additional information if needed. 

As soon as the eligibility check is complete, we will notify you of the outcome (within 30 minutes of receipt of your referral but usually sooner).

The admission process will commence and usually be completed within 60 minutes. We will notify you once the admission is complete and let you know who the admitting doctor is for the patient’s episode of care.

Clinical advice and support for referrers about patient suitability for My Home Hospital and diagnostic workup that may be required is available from the Virtual Care Centre 24/7 on 1800 111 644 (1800 111 MHH).

What is included in the My Home Hospital Service for Patients?

My Home Hospital brings the care to the patient in the form of doctors, nurses, allied health practitioners, some x-rays and blood tests, medication and other support services such as meals and personal care, if necessary. It is a medically-led service with a Medical Director and staff specialists providing 24/7 senior medical cover.

My Home Hospital uses remote monitoring technology to enable our care team to stay in touch with patients at any time, and to track observations such as pulse, temperature and blood pressure in real time. Data collected via remote monitoring devices will be immediately available to Care Co-Ordinators in the Virtual Care Centre, who can then respond to any issues.

My Home Hospital offers:

  • frequent medical review for patient safety, appropriate escalation, and clinically appropriate and efficient discharge processes;
  • at least once-daily nursing clinical review for the entire My Home Hospital admission, immediate medical review if the patient’s condition is not within agreed or acceptable parameters; and
  • clear escalation and transfer pathways for patients whose condition is deteriorating, or on request of the patient of family.

How often will patients be visited?

My Home Hospital patients will receive in-home visits as often as their condition requires, at least once a day. These visits will be provided by experienced registered nurses, doctors and allied health providers.

Care needs will match patient needs, with personalised care plans developed that are based on the information obtained from patients, their family and/or carer if appropriate, referrers and usual care providers. Regular review of care requirements will be conducted face to face and virtually with care tailored to meet individual patient needs.

While admitted to My Home Hospital, patients will also have access to a Care Coordinator, who is an experienced registered nurse, 24/7 to provide additional information or assessment as required.

What can I tell my patient about the admission process?

  • The patient will be sent, via courier, an Admission Pack which will include a touch-screen tablet, monitoring devices that will measure and record their clinical observations for the care team, and a personal alarm if they require one.
  • The nurse who visits the patient at home will set up their remote monitoring equipment and personal alarm, and show them how to use it. The patient will be able to talk to the care coordinator using their touch-screen tablet via video call if the patient or their family/carer have any concerns.
  • Our medical and nursing team can be reached 24/7, and each patient is assigned a care coordinator who is the key point of contact for any issues or concerns during the admission.
  • Their role is to develop and oversee the care plan to ensure the patient receives all the care they need in a timely way. The care coordinator will monitor the patient’s clinical observations such as pulse, temperature and oxygen levels via our remote monitoring system, and talk to the patient regularly during their My Home Hospital admission.
  • The care coordinator stays in touch with the patient’s usual care providers, in particular their GP, so they know how their patient is going and when they will be discharged from My Home Hospital.

Information

Further Information is available by calling 1800 111 644, or go to www.myhomehospital.sa.gov.au