Silverchain will provide the Care Coordination Support Service across the all local government areas to support the wellbeing of eligible people, reduce presentations at emergency departments and decrease preventable hospital admissions, particularly after hours.

The need for this service was recognised through SEMPHN’s 2021 Needs Assessment – a comprehensive overview of health data across south eastern Melbourne. The Needs Assessment identified that the Cities of Frankston and the Greater Dandenong had the highest need for support relating to after-hours services in South Eastern Melbourne. In response to this, SEMPHN set out to establish the Care Coordination Support Service, which involves:

• Working with general practices and community pharmacies
• Supporting general practices to provide patient-centred care through comprehensive care coordination activities
• Linking people who don’t have a regular GP, and are more likely to access emergency department services, to general practice services
• Developing and implementing a pharmacy-based after hours awareness initiative to increase consumer awareness of local after hours services
• Developing a potential referral pathway involving public hospitals.

The service supports patients based on their individual needs and will complement the care and clinical services offered by local general practices and pharmacies.

If you have any questions or need to check your patient’s eligibility for this service, you can contact Silverchain on 1300 300 122 or email screferrals@silverchain.org.au.