12 June 2008

More Paediatric Networking Services for Northern NSW

NSW Minister for Health Reba Meagher today announced the allocation of more than $470,000 to expand paediatric networking services in the north of the state.

"Child Health Networks were established in 2001 to improve children's health services across NSW," Ms Meagher said.

"The Networks ensure that children can receive the health care they need, as close to home as possible, whenever it is safe to offer it.

"The Networks divide the state into three areas and incorporate metropolitan and rural partners linking up with one of the state's three children's hospitals."

The Networks are:

• Northern Child Health Network - affiliated with John Hunter Children's Hospital
• Greater Eastern and Southern Child Health Network - affiliated with Sydney Children's Hospital
• Western Child Health Network - affiliated with The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

"The funding I am committing today will offer clinicians in northern NSW the opportunity to develop or pilot projects for children and their families to improve their health care experience and establish services as close to home as possible," Ms Meagher said.

Amongst a range of projects, the following initiatives have been funded in the Northern Child Health Network:

Networked Paediatric Allergy Service ($96,761) - Regional health care providers will receive specialist education to enable them to perform allergy testing locally.

"Currently families in the north need to travel to John Hunter Children's Hospital for these tests," Ms Meagher said.

"The project will allow clinicians in Tamworth, Armidale, Inverell and Port Macquarie to test children locally, and will use tele-medicine and a video link-up local to provide care, in consultation with specialists at John Hunter."

Healthy Kids Healthy Families Program ($37,000) - The Healthy Kids Healthy Families Program will be piloted in Lismore to address childhood obesity.

"We know that group programs for weight loss are the most effective and in the case of children, parents need to lead by example," Ms Meagher said.

"The Healthy Kids Healthy Families Program will provide advice to families on areas including healthy eating, recipe modifications, behaviour modifications, managing overeating, and building self-esteem."

Diabetic Endocrine Patient Management Database ($72,571) - The Northern Child Health Network will enhance and extend the Diabetic Endocrine Patient Management Database for use across NSW.

"In order to provide optimal care for children with diabetes it is critical to have a specifically designed patient information dataset that is readily available to clinicians," Ms Meagher said.

"Paediatric networking extends beyond just linkages between hospitals and includes GPs, private paediatricians and allied health service providers, community health and primary care services, early childhood services and other government and non government agencies with a responsibility for children's health and welfare.

"Already the Networks have rolled out clinical practice guidelines for common conditions presenting to hospitals which means that children from Broken Hill to Bondi can expect the same treatment and standard of care.

"These projects offer our health and community services the chance to further improve models of care for children across the state."

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au