A whole-of-health system approach to improving care of frail older persons

By Elizabeth Whiting

Older persons are at risk of spending extended periods of time in Emergency Departments and have higher admission rates than their younger counterparts. This translates to higher risks of poor outcomes particularly in older persons who are also frail. In a recent publication in The Australian Health Review¹, the authors describe the approach of the Queensland Frail Older Person Collaborative Program which was established in 2018 with the aim of optimising care of frail older adults across healthcare systems in Queensland. Priority areas were identified at a co-design workshop involving key stakeholders and consumers including representatives from community providers and residential aged care facilities. Throughout the life of the program, high level support was provided by the Department of Health and the Health Minister. Locally developed, evidence-based interventions which focused on supporting care in Residential Aged Care Facilities, Emergency Departments and inpatient units were selected by workshop participants in addition to enhancement of advance care planning across the health system. The interventions were implemented across metropolitan and regional areas. The Collaborative Program demonstrated that translating research into practice and effecting change can occur rapidly and at scale.

Read the publication here.