Leaving the Hospital in the Home (HITH) Program

Questions you can ask:

Can you explain to me which treatment I need nowand in the future?

When are my follow-up appointments?

Will I be given a discharge plan?

Will you send my discharge plan to my GP?

What Happens During HITH Discharge?

We will discharge you when you no longer need to receive HITH care, this is usually when you no longer need daily care.

During the discharge process, members of our team will provide you with the information you need to make this transition successfully.

Our team should discuss the following with you:

Your medical condition at the time of discharge

What kinds of follow-up care you will need, such as physiotherapy

What medications you need to take, including why, when, and how to take them, and possible side effects to watch for

What medical equipment you will need, and how to get it

When and how you will receive test results

Instructions on food and drink, exercise, and activities to avoid

Phone numbers to call if you have a question or problem

Days and times of your follow-up appointments, or information about how to make appointments

24 - 48 hrs after you are discharged one of our nursing team will call you to check how you are going and if you have any concerns. During this phone call, you will also be asked to answer a short patient survey that will provide us with feedback to change and improve our service

Leaving Hospital in the Home (HITH) - Payments

Public patients have their medical costs, except for discharge medicines, covered by Medicare

As a patient under the HITH program you are only responsible for paying for your medications

Protecting patient privacy is something we value at NCN Health.

Throughout the service patients, clients, residents and visitors are made aware of why their information is collected, used, and disclosed. Wherever possible, we will provide patients, residents and clients with choices about how their information is used and to whom it is disclosed.

Confidentiality of health information is assured Information is stored in a secure manner, both paper-based and electronically. We support, promote and comply with the 11 Health Privacy Principles.

Client information will only be used and disclosed for the purposes for which it was collected and be protected from misuse.

The collection or sharing of information is limited to that which is necessary, rather than what may be useful in the future.

We make every effort to be clear about the purposes for which information is being shared.

We will also be open with patients, clients, residents, visitors, family members and other stakeholders about why information is being shared and with whom, what will happen to it, and how it maybe accessed and corrected it if necessary.

Use of Your Medical Records

During your treatment doctors, nurses and other health care professionals will need to collect information about you This information is important because it will assist in planning your treatment.

Information relating to your health care may be shared with other health care professionals or other health care facilities where they are continuing with your care

The information may also be used in reviews and audits, in which case all information remains confidential and is not identified

Your information cannot be released to any person(s) not involved in your continuing care unless your consent is obtained, or if it is required by law All medical records remain the property of NCN Health.

Access to your Medical Records and Disclosure of your Information.

Your information can only be accessed and/or disclosed by your treatment team for the purpose of your ongoing care It cannot be accessed by your relatives or friends without your consent.

Your information may also be shared with external organisations as a requirement by law. If you have any concerns about your information being shared with other health care providers or services, please speak to a member of the health care team

Freedom of Information Act 1982

People may have access to information held in their medical record through the Freedom of Information Act.

All applications for information must be processed by the Freedom of Information Officer These incur a request / application fee and may take up to 45 days to process.

Inquiries can be made in person or in writing addressed to:

Nathalia:

The Freedom of Information Officer

NCN Health Nathalia

36-44 McDonnell Street

Nathalia Victoria 3638

Cobram:

The Freedom of Information Officer

NCN Health Cobram

PO Box 252

Cobram Victoria 3644

Numurkah:

The Freedom of Information Officer

NCN Health Numurkah

PO Box 128

Numurkah Victoria 3636