Numurkah District Health Service Profile

Numurkah District Health Service is funded as a Small Rural Health Service (SRHS) provider. It is one of the few fully integrated health services in Victoria . The 'one stop shop' approach to health service delivery ensures that consumers are able to easily source and access the services available.

The organisation consists of an acute ward called the General Ward, which has 15 overnight beds and 6 day stay/procedure beds. The acute ward provides care for medical, surgical, day procedure, paediatric, post natal, nursing home type patients and resuscitation and stabilisation of emergency patients prior to transfer to a higher centre.

The Residential Aged Care Services provide 30 high care nursing home beds and 36 low care residential aged care bed. A small retirement village of independent living units is located on the health service campus.

Community health services are provided from the Numurkah Community Health Centre building also located on the main campus. This primary health care service provides diabetes education, asthma education, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, exercise programs, better health self management programs, adolescent health , men's and women's health district nursing service palliative care services, community midwifery, occupational therapy dietetics, speech therapy, social work, podiatry/foot care clinics, mental health service, planned activity group, community health nurse, physiotherapy, community walking group, breast feeding support group and other health promotion activities.

From community/primary health to acute hospital or residential aged care and/or services required by clients in the home, NDHS aims to provide easily accessible seamless health care.

The Organisation develops, coordinates and provides health care services to the Numurkah and District community specifically, and to other users generally. These services are provided either unilaterally by the Health Service or jointly with other agencies in accordance with all existing and future relevant Acts and Regulations.

NDHS community health program provides an integrated and planned approach to the health and well being of the community it serves in order to assist and empower them to achieve better health outcomes, particularly in the management of chronic illness.

Central to all service development is the need to meet the ever changing requirements of the Numurkah and district community.

The facility has continued to consolidate its Continuous Improvement processes.

Accreditation and External Audits:

Numurkah District Health Service is fully accredited with The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards until November 2008, the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency until June 2009 and also accredited to Home and Community Care standards.

The Health Service has again passed external surveys in relation to Food Services and DHS Cleaning audits. These were completed in March 2007.

Redevelopment of the Numurkah District Health Service:

Stage one of the facility wide redevelopment has been completed. The new aged care facility was occupied in February 2005. The building of staff facilities, kitchen and stores area was completed and occupied in June 2005.

In February 2006 the Numurkah Pioneers Memorial Lodge was connected to the main health service computer network. All departments now have computer access to Internet and email - this has significantly enhanced communication across the organisation. NDHS further continued to improve IT availability to staff and with whole site wireless network coverage and the introduction of Internet Protocol Telephony.

The Small Rural Health Service strategy funding model was introduced to NDHS with the transfer of WEIS funding into Primary Health Programs in 2003.

From January 2005 the organisation ceased to provide midwifery/birthing services. Post natal care is still provided and a Community Midwife participates in the shared ante natal care program.

In January 2006 the local General Practitioners reduced their after hours on call service to the health service. The limited service provides for after hours inpatient call and 1 GP from each of the two practices providing very limited response to emergency presentations. This has posed some difficulties in regard to development of guidelines to support staff in the event of emergency presentations.

The Board of Management, with the CEO, Manager Health Services/DON and the Leadership and Management Team has completed a Strategic Plan for 2004 - 2008.

Demographics:

The township of Numurkah comprises part of the Moira Shire in the Hume Region. The current urban township population is approximately 3,700 with a catchment population of approximately 7,900 persons from within the Moira Shire. All age groups are evenly distributed to 85 years.

Geographically, Numurkah is situated on the flood plains between the Goulburn and the Murray River valleys. It is approximately 100 metres above sea level and has an annual average rainfall of 450mm per year that is received predominately during the winter months.

It is 30kms north of Shepparton, two and a half hours drive from Melbourne and two hours from Albury - Wodonga.

The economy is supported by dairy farming, dry land farming, fat lambs, wheat growing, manufacturing, retail and health. The median weekly household income is approximately $600.

It is predominately an irrigated agricultural area, with the major industries being Riverland oil seed processing, Kraft Cheese factory and Diverse Builders - housing manufacturers.

Numurkah and district is a post Second World War soldier settlement area

Anglo - Saxon origin forms the basis of the cultural ethnic population.

There has been little or no change to this demographic for over 20 years. The population is near universally Christian (all denominations).

The township is well serviced by two pharmacists, two GP clinics with six GPs, Novas Day Centre for the disabled and an active Community Health Centre as part of the Health Service. 

Improvements in Quality Service and Care :

Numurkah District Health Service has improved in the following ways:

• New high care Residential Aged Care Unit officially opened October 2005, was occupied from February 2005.
• Occupancy of the new Support Services building in June 2006, includes staff dining, staff library, kitchen, supply, linen, pharmacy (not in use yet), Multipurpose room, contaminated waste room, cleaners base, staff toilets, lockers and showers.
• Whole site wireless network coverage
• Connection of the Numurkah Pioneers Memorial Lodge and Orana (Planned Activity Group)to the main campus computer network.

New equipment purchases:

• second hand operating table,
• portable non invasive monitor,
• oximeter,
• mobile digital weigh chair with 200Kg capacity,
• portable Auto External Defibrillator,
• Low/Low beds have been purchased for General ward.
• Upgraded computer equipment,
• New photocopier
• Generator

Specialties:

Aged Care, Community Health Care, Community Health Nursing, Community Midwife program, Day Procedures, Drug and Alcohol, General Medicine, General Surgery, Gynaecology, Health Promotion, Hospital in the Home, Hostel Care, Medical / Surgical, Medical Imaging, Nursing Home, Palliative Care, Post Natal Care, Respite Care.

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