OCAV wins major award for kidney dialysis service

OCAV has won a national better practice award for its innovative kidney dialysis service run from Liscombe House.

The Australian Aged Care Quality Agency (AACQA) awarded OCAV in recognition of its commitment to continuum of care and support for a kidney dialysis patient who had to move from independent living within OCAV due to a rapid deterioration of his condition.

Catherine Rosenbrock, AACQA Victorian Director, said the service that OCAV provided was exemplary and demonstrated how true to its mission it was in providing care to its residents.

“What OCAV has shown is that it is person-centric and that every individual’s health and wellbeing is important regardless of what stage of life they are at,” Catherine Rosenbrock added.

OCAV received the award for its care of the late Peter Stock who had been on home dialysis at OCAV’s Leith Park village for three years as part of a pilot program involving the Royal District Nursing Service.

In September 2016 Peter, who had chronic kidney disease stage 4, deteriorated rapidly, and was no longer able to live in his independent unit because he required peritoneal dialysis every night while he slept. Following careful consideration and with the training and support of Austin Hospital, OCAV cared for Peter on dialysis at its Liscombe House aged care facility from October 2016 through to his death in February 2017.

CEO Phillip Wohlers said the decision to accept Peter into aged care was not made lightly, as caring for a person on dialysis requires a lot of staff training.

“However, Peter was one of our own. He had lived at Leith Park for 10 years and he needed to have a home to come to after hospital. We looked at the possibility from every angle and decided yes, we could do it. Everyone was involved in the planning, including Peter’s two daughters,” Mr Wohlers said.

OCAV’s nursing team worked with the multi-disciplinary and home-therapy teams at the Austin Hospital in the set up of the dialysis service. The home therapy unit at Austin hospital offered their full support and 24-hour backup/call service, and provided relevant education and competency testing for staff. Home therapy organised for the peritoneal dialysis equipment and solutions to be provided through Baxter Health Care.

Until Peter’s death, there were only three dialysis patients living in aged care facilities in Victoria. OCAV intends to extend the service for other older Victorians in need.

OCAV was one of 37 organisations Australia wide to receive a Better Practice Award.

Caption (from left): Ms Catherine Rosenbrock Australian Aged Care Quality Agency state manager Victoria & Tasmania , Liscombe House staff Josephine Katite, Katrina Garnsey, Karen Ernest and Bini Biju and CEO Phillip Wohlers.