Yorke and Northern Local Health Network - Transition to Professional Practice Program (TPPP) for registered nurses

Balaklava Soldiers’ Memorial District Hospital

The Balaklava hospital is a 37 bed facility with 15 acute care beds and 22 Commonwealth funded residential aged care beds. Services include a 24-hour emergency service, allied health services, community health services, and transitional care packages.

Burra Hospital

Burra Hospital has 5 acute beds and 16 MPS aged care beds. Services offered to the Burra community include 24 hour accident and emergency, acute services, and aged care.

Clare Hospital

The Clare Hospital is a 23 bed acute facility. Services include acute surgical, medical and a 24-hour emergency service. The hospital also provides chemotherapy and dialysis. A busy Perioperative unit undertakes surgery multiple days per week with specialties including orthopaedic, ophthalmology, urology, gastroenterology, gynaecology, vascular, plastics, ear, nose and throat, and general surgery. Clare Hospital also cares for about 140 women per year within the YNLHN Midwifery Group Practice model.

Kara House

Kara House is a 25 bed Residential Aged Care facility located at Clare Hospital that provides a range of quality services that aim to enrich people’s lives regardless of their health and support requirements, financial circumstances or lifestyle preferences. Kara House provides high level care to meet residents needs including participating in a palliative care / end of life care program, provision of ongoing medical supports in an environment designed to support wellbeing.

Riverton Districts Soldiers Memorial Hospital

Riverton hospital has 7 acute beds, and 20 residential aged care beds. Services offered include 24-hour accident and emergency, acute services, palliative care and aged care services.

Snowtown Hospital

Snowtown hospital has 3 acute beds, and 25 MPS aged care beds. Services offered by the hospital include 24-hour accident and emergency, acute services, and aged care.

Booleroo Centre District Hospital and Health Services

Booleroo Centre offers acute care, aged care, palliative care services, outpatients, and a 24-hour emergency service to the community. The hospital has 6 acute care beds, and 12 state funded aged care beds.

Crystal Brook Hospital (Southern Flinders Health)

Crystal Brook has 13 acute beds which include medical, surgical, maternity and day surgery services. Crystal Brook Hospital cares for approximately 75 pregnant and birthing women per year within the YNLHN Midwifery Group Practice model.

 A 24-hour Accident and Emergency service is also provided as well as an outpatient clinic, medical imaging, and surgical services.  Local General Practitioners provide medical and procedural services to the hospital. In addition to acute services, there are also 12 aged care beds.

Hammill House

Hammill House is a 30 bed Residential Aged Care Facility co-located at Port Pirie Regional Health Service providing a range of quality services that aim to enrich people’s lives regardless of their health and support requirements, financial circumstances or lifestyle preferences. Hammill House provides high level care to meet residents needs including participating in a palliative care / end of life care program, provision of ongoing medical supports in an environment designed to support wellbeing

Jamestown Hospital

Jamestown hospital is a 24-bed unit including 13 Commonwealth residential aged care beds servicing the Jamestown and surrounding rural community. The health unit provides a 24-hour Accident and Emergency service, medical imaging, community health, outreach and outpatient services. The hospital caters for surgical, medical, emergency and obstetric patients and has a day surgery suite. Visiting specialists from Adelaide and the private local General practitioners (GPs) provide medical and procedural services to the hospital. Jamestown Hospital cares for approximately 50 pregnant and birthing women within the YNLHN Midwifery Group Practice.

Laura and Districts Hospital

Laura and Districts Hospital provides acute, emergency, outpatients, palliative care, and aged care services. The hospital has 6 acute beds, 12 residential aged care beds, and provides medical imaging and point of care pathology services.

Orroroo and District Health Services

Orroroo and District Health Services offers, a 24-hour accident and emergency service and care after operations and births. The hospital has 7 acute care beds, 10 Commonwealth aged care beds and services include aged care, acute medical, post-operative, post-natal, palliative care, transitional care packages, rural emergency services, allied health, community nurse and X-Ray facilities.

Orroroo Community Home

Orroroo is a 16 bed Residential Aged Care Facility located at Orroroo and District Health Service that provides a range of quality services that aim to enrich people’s lives regardless of their health and support requirements, financial circumstances or lifestyle preferences. Orroroo Community Home provides high level care to meet residents needs including participating in a palliative care / end of life care program, provision of ongoing medical supports in an environment designed to support wellbeing.

Peterborough Soldier’s Memorial Hospital

Peterborough Soldier’s Memorial Hospital has 12-acute beds and 11 aged care beds, which provides a range of services to Peterborough and the surrounding rural community. It provides a 24-hour Accident and Emergency service, palliative care, outpatient services, and various associated clinical support services. Peterborough also has an 11-bed Residential Aged Care Facility on the grounds. Visiting specialists from Adelaide and General Practitioners (GPs) provide medical and procedural services to the hospital.

Port Pirie Regional Health Service

Port Pirie Regional Health Service is the largest site in the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network with 53 acute beds providing the services in surgical, medical, and paediatric care, obstetric and maternity care, 24-hour accident and emergency department, surgical services, chemotherapy services, dialysis, and community and allied health services. PPRHS has a specialist obstetric service, and cares for approximately 200 pregnant and birthing women within the YNLHN Midwifery Group Practice.

Maitland Hospital (Central Yorke Peninsula Hospital)

Maitland Hospital and Health Service is a 28-bed facility, with 16 acute beds, and 12 aged-care beds.  Services include inpatient care in general medicine for adults and children, palliative care, transitional care program, renal day patient unit, medical imaging, aged care, and a 24-hour Accident and Emergency Service.

Melaleuca Court Nursing Home (Minlaton)

Melaleuca Court Nursing Home is part of the Southern Yorke Peninsula Health Services, and is located at Minlaton. It is 35 bed Commonwealth funded Residential Aged Care facility that provides a range of quality services that aim to enrich people’s lives regardless of their health and support requirements, financial circumstances, or lifestyle preferences. Melaleuca Court provides high level care to meet residents needs including participating in a palliative care / end of life care program, provision of ongoing medical supports in an environment designed to support wellbeing.

Port Broughton District Hospital and Health Service

Port Broughton is a 12-bed health unit servicing Port Broughton and the surrounding rural community.  The health unit has a 24-hour Accident and Emergency Department, an outpatient clinic, acute care, and transitional care packages.

Wallaroo Hospital and Health Services (Northern Yorke Peninsula Hospital)

Wallaroo Hospital is a 21 acute bed facility. Services include surgical services, medical services, rehabilitation, and a separately staffed 24-hour emergency service. The hospital also provides specialist outpatient services, and a dedicated chemotherapy unit. The perioperative unit undertakes surgery 4 days per week with specialties including orthopaedic, ophthalmology, urology, gastro-intestinal, gynae, vascular, plastics, ear, nose, and throat and general surgery. A Nurse Practitioner in the area of healthy aging supports the clinical areas so opportunity exists to work with nurses at the forefront of their specialties. Wallaroo Hospital cares for approximately 180 pregnant and birthing women from all over the Yorke Peninsula within the YNLHN Midwifery Group Practice.

Yorketown Hospital (Southern Yorke Peninsula Hospital)

Yorketown Hospital is a 26-bed acute service facility that provides a range of services for the community and visitors to the area. Services include 24-hour emergency service, provision of colonoscopy services, outpatient services, palliative care, and various associated clinical support services to the community. The Hospital has visiting specialists from Adelaide and the private local General practitioners (GPs) provide medical and procedural services to the hospital.

TPPP RNs may prefer the opportunity to practice in a second acute site to further consolidate their new skills as an RN. During the second rotation there is an expectation that TPPPs will be working up to the Team Leader Role early and develop confidence in understanding of this role.

Working in one of the standalone aged care sites in the network, TPPP RNs will be supported in learning skills in palliative care and communication during end of life care, care planning development and review, assessment and admission, use of dedicated technology systems relevant to aged care – such as Leecare and Altura, shift coordination and team leader role, consumer goals, consumer personal and clinical risk management, consumer advocacy, dignity of care, complex wound care, and specialised care needs in aged care. The TPPP RN will also learn how to apply the aged care standards to their practice, and other legislative requirements in aged care.

The four sites offering aged care specialty rotations are:

• Hammill House in Port Pirie
• Kara House in Clare
• Melaleuca Court in Minlaton
• Orroroo Community Home.

TPPP RNs undertaking the renal specialty will be supported to developed highly specialised skills in the care of the renal dialysis patient. The TPPP RN will be supported to attend 2 weeks of training in Adelaide at one of the metropolitan dialysis units, and then supported during their rotation to transition working independently in the dialysis unit. Some of the skills that will be developed during this opportunity include, safe use of the dialysis machines, accessing fistulas for dialysis, chronic disease care planning and appointment coordination, recognise changing patient conditions and escalate appropriately, and provision of post dialysis care.

The renal specialty will be offered through the

• Port Pirie Renal Dialysis Unit, which operates 6 days per week
• Maitland Hospital

TPPP RNs in perioperative services in the network will be supported in developing foundational skills in perioperative nursing, including the different roles and responsibilities of each person in the perioperative unit, opportunity to work in each of these roles, participating in the on call roster, team leader and shift coordination, recognition of patient deterioration and escalation of care, understanding the principles and requirements of consent and documentation in the perioperative environment, awareness and practice according to the clinical and professional standards for perioperative nursing in Australia, and infection control principles and practice relevant to perioperative nursing.

Perioperative services that will be supporting TPPP RNs are in:

• Clare
• Wallaroo
• Port Pirie.

Opportunities for the TPPP RN to develop skills in community health include, palliative care, end of life care discussions, complex wound management, pain management, holistic patient care, medication management in the community setting, recognition and escalation of patient deterioration,

Community Health is offered across two zones in YNLHN:

• Northern Region including Port Pirie
• Mid North and Southern Region, including Clare Valley and the Yorke Peninsula.

Mental health services as a specialty provides supported learning opportunities for the TPPP RN in client therapeutic communication and care-planning, assessment skills, complex mental health management, client caseload coordination, risk assessment, multidisciplinary team meeting and communication, safe medication management, recognition of patient mental health deterioration and appropriate escalation pathways, telepsychiatry support, understanding the different types of mental health disorders, and various treatment options for clients with a mental health disorder.

Mental health services are offered in:

• Clare
• Kadina
• Port Pirie
• Minlaton
• outreach services to clients in the surrounding areas.

TPPP RNs undertaking specialty rotation in emergency will be supported to learn skills such as primary and secondary survey, triage, recognition of deterioration and escalation of care, assessment skills including mental health assessment, chest pain management, clinical handovers, pain management, sepsis recognition, cannulation skills, team leader in the emergency department, and recognising and de-escalation of behaviours in the emergency department.

Wallaroo Hospital and Port Pirie Regional Health Service offer specialty rotations into the emergency department.