Life-sustaining therapy now available in MLHD

A new service being rolled out to the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) will mean people living with complex nutritional conditions in the Murrumbidgee will no longer have to travel long distances to receive specialist care. The official launch of a Home Parenteral Nutrition Program in MLHD will mean patients no longer need to travel to Sydney regularly to receive treatment. Home Parenteral Nutrition is a life-sustaining therapy for people with intestinal failure and other conditions that prevent adequate nutrition from being absorbed through the digestive system. Until now, patients requiring this highly specialised treatment have often needed to travel regularly to Sydney for review and ongoing management. The new Murrumbidgee-based service will enable patients to receive specialist care and support closer to home, reducing the burden of travel and improving access to treatment for people living in regional and rural communities. MLHD is among the first regional health services in Australia to establish a Home Parenteral Nutrition program. The service has been established in collaboration with dietetics, nursing, pharmacy, intensive care medicine and administration teams and has been made possible through a strong partnership between the district and the Home Parenteral Nutrition Team at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Sydney. MLHD chief executive Emma Field said being able to provide this service locally will reduce the need to travel and allow patients to receive expert care closer to home, surrounded by their families and support networks. "This program demonstrates our commitment to delivering high-quality specialist healthcare in regional communities and ensuring people can access the care they need without having to leave the region whenever possible,” Ms Field said. "This program is another example of how we are expanding specialist services locally and improving health outcomes for the communities we serve." Clinicians from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital recently transitioned the first patient to the new service in Murrumbidgee. As part of the service launch, clinicians from RPA will visit Wagga Wagga Base Hospital to provide education and training to local healthcare staff and formally inaugurate the service. The service will create opportunities for greater collaboration with leading specialist centres, support research and innovation, and strengthen the future of specialist nutrition services in regional NSW. RPA Head of Nutrition and Dietetics Professor Sharon Carey said the RPA team is proud to work alongside our colleagues in Murrumbidgee to build the necessary skills and systems needed to deliver Home Parenteral Nutrition at a regional level. “It is great to see patients get the care they need so much closer to home." Prof Carey said. "This partnership reflects just how well our two health districts work together — sharing our expertise with our regional colleagues so patients no longer have to choose between specialist treatment and staying close to home." Ardlethan resident Roslyn Williams said “Establishing this service in Wagga Wagga will make accessing care much easier for local patients. It will be particularly reassuring in an emergency to know that specialist care is much closer to home, Ms Williams said.

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