For 60 years, Clever Care NOW has provided a much-needed service to the sick and elderly in St George and Sutherland Shire.
Despite several name changes over the decades, the service, which began as Rockdale Mobile Community Nursing Service, has continued to grow and evolve to keep up with the changing health, medical and social needs of the community.
The organisation now services St George and Sutherland Shire and provides mobile nursing, pre- and post-operative care, day trips, patient transport, community health checks, flu vaccination and children's literacy programs.
The team of mobile, qualified and dedicated nursing staff are available seven days a week, 365 days a year. Clients and patients can self-refer and in-home care can be arranged within 24 hours.
Clever Care NOW also liaises with doctors, health care professionals, carers and family, and can refer clients to other community and allied health services including physiotherapy, nutrition and meals, community transport and home modifications.
Rockdale Community Nursing Service was established on November 2, 1959, to service the mobile nursing needs of the aged and chronically ill.
In 2000, the organisation changed its name to Nurses on Wheels and moved to Bexley to service a broader community before relocating to Caringbah in October 2018 and re-launching as Clever Care NOW.
Clever Care NOW chairman Garry Sheffield said the organisation was "immensely proud to still be caring for those most in need in our 60th year, to have broadened our geographical reach and expand our service offerings".
"Our longstanding home nursing side of the organisation continues to focus on providing a timely and professional service to promote independence, health and wellbeing and support people to live in their own home - a rapidly growing need in our community," he said.
Mr Sheffield said the organisation now delivers a corporate flu vaccination program and business health check service to support staff health and wellbeing.
"Most recently, Clever Care NOW acquired a long-established, successful and unique patient transport business to enable the frail, aged, wheelchair and bed-bound to attend appointments, social outings, family events, special requests and end-of-life experiences."
Clever Care NOW also encourages social participation through its affordable door-to-door Day Tripper program, which runs five days a week.
The popular program sees a qualified nurse accompany patrons on sight-seeing trips around Sydney. The service runs five days a week and is often booked out.
Clever Care NOW chief executive Jill Deering said neither the mobile nursing service or day tripper program could operate without the generous support of Club Central Menai, which has provided funding since 2013 through ClubGRANTS.
"The ongoing support of Club Central has enabled us to expand our car fleet to reach more clients in our community and provide much-needed social outings," she said.
Earlier this month, Sutherland Shire Mayor Carmelo Pesce presided over the Clever Care NOW 60th anniversary celebration at Club Central Menai, where club president Brian Cloney handed over a cheque for $200,000.
"With Australia's growing ageing population in mind, Club Central is proud to be expanding our funding for Clever Care NOW. Our commitment to provide $200,000 over the next three years for the home nursing service, day tripper and nursing packages for hardship patients provides some surety around funding and also delivers on our mission to support the communities we are part of," Mr Cloney said.
