A NEW $1.6 million facility occupies a corner of the Sutherland Hospital campus but it is "not [a] hospital".
HealthOne Sutherland is the state's 21st such centre designed to keep people with chronic illnesses and other complex, long-term conditions out of hospital.
Cronulla MP and Minister for Environment Mark Speakman opened the centre, which has a separate entrance from Karimbla Road, near the rail bridge.
"We want this place to be seen as 'not-hospital,' " said Greg Stewart, director of operations, ambulatory and primary health care for south-eastern Sydney local health district.
"While NSW Health provides a lot of staff and money for hospitals, it also has a role [operating] community health services.
"It's very important that we make that differentiation."
Dr Stewart said the 300-square-metre building had spaces for clinical care, patient education and development of their skills.
"It's called 'patient self-management', so people can learn how to look after their diseases themselves," he said.
"The best example is diabetes, where, by and large, people with diabetes can look after themselves, but go and see their GP for insulin changes, prescriptions and the like," he said.
"Lots of people dealing with diabetes know more about it than the practitioners who look after them."
Dr Stewart said preventive care could include advice on lifestyle, dietary habits and exercise.
He said GPs supported the concept because it complemented the care they provided.
Dr Stewart said other forms of support could also be offered.
"We are negotiating with Legal Aid in Sutherland to provide some legal assistance because people involved in the justice system often have complex health issues," he said.
"We see this as part of our agenda of being more outward-focused."
CARE CAN NOW BE MORE INTEGRATED
A new integrated healthcare strategy for the local health district was launched at the same function.
Chief executive Gerry Marr said HealthOne Sutherland was a prime example of the strategy.
‘‘People with long-term conditions present in the emergency department, often with a catastrophic breakdown of their illness’’, he said.
‘‘Then they get admitted into hospital and go through a long process, particularly if they have more than one disease and need
to see multiple specialists; rehabilitation can be quite challenging and lengthy.
‘‘One of the big ideas we are taking forward is the concept of anticipatory care.’’
Dr Greg Stewart said integrated care was ‘‘a whole new world in some ways’’.
‘‘[Some people] get a broken leg, come into hospital, get it fixed and go away. People with a long-term condition don’t get better, but just have to cope with it.’’
For a referral to HealthOne Sutherland, call 9540 8181.
