❓ Question raises concerns about the lack of a staffed renal dialysis unit in Karratha, forcing patients to relocate for treatment. The Minister acknowledges the situation and outlines plans for increased home dialysis services and ongoing investment in renal care in the Pilbara.
AnsweredQoN 4153Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Will the Minister confirm that currently
there is no staffed renal dialysis unit with the City of Karratha (formerly
Shire of Roebourne)? (2) Will the Minister confirm that currently there are two home-dialysis machines at Mawarnkarra Health Service (MHS)? (3) Are there plans for more home-dialysis machines to go into MHS to allow more people to dialyse there? (4) If yes to (3), how many and what is the timeframe? (5) How is the
MHS setup to help those who are unable to find someone to be their carer
or whose carer is not able to complete the complex training? (6) How is the MHS setup to help the carer who is required to be away for a number of months for training and away from their employment? (7) How is the MHS setup to help the carer, who following training have a responsibility to dialyse three days a week for up to eight hours at a time? (8) Why does Centrelink not consider the hours needed to dialyse a patient to be enough to warrant the carer payment? (9) Was a fully staffed dialysis unit
in the plans that were originally approved for the new hospital in Karratha? (10) Is the Minister aware that the Pilbara Regional Director of Western Australia Country Health Service, Ron Wynn, confirmed that there are currently no plans to include a dialysis unit in the new hospital in Karratha? (11) Is the Minister aware that without
a staffed dialysis unit, those who do not have a carer to assist them are
required to move to Hedland for their dialysis needs? (12) Is the Minister aware of the negative impact of having to move to another town for dialysis needs, including being away from family, maintaining a valid licence and workable vehicle or finding someone to drive them to appointments? (13) Is the Minister aware of how many patients, due to the stress of moving away from family for treatment and the declining health impact, have eventually had to relocate to Perth for healthcare and never return to Roebourne, or the Pilbara, to live or visit? (14) Does the Minister believe this to be an acceptable situation? (15) If yes to (14), why? (16) If no to (14), what are the plans and timeframe to rectify the situation?
there is no staffed renal dialysis unit with the City of Karratha (formerly
Shire of Roebourne)? (2) Will the Minister confirm that currently there are two home-dialysis machines at Mawarnkarra Health Service (MHS)? (3) Are there plans for more home-dialysis machines to go into MHS to allow more people to dialyse there? (4) If yes to (3), how many and what is the timeframe? (5) How is the
MHS setup to help those who are unable to find someone to be their carer
or whose carer is not able to complete the complex training? (6) How is the MHS setup to help the carer who is required to be away for a number of months for training and away from their employment? (7) How is the MHS setup to help the carer, who following training have a responsibility to dialyse three days a week for up to eight hours at a time? (8) Why does Centrelink not consider the hours needed to dialyse a patient to be enough to warrant the carer payment? (9) Was a fully staffed dialysis unit
in the plans that were originally approved for the new hospital in Karratha? (10) Is the Minister aware that the Pilbara Regional Director of Western Australia Country Health Service, Ron Wynn, confirmed that there are currently no plans to include a dialysis unit in the new hospital in Karratha? (11) Is the Minister aware that without
a staffed dialysis unit, those who do not have a carer to assist them are
required to move to Hedland for their dialysis needs? (12) Is the Minister aware of the negative impact of having to move to another town for dialysis needs, including being away from family, maintaining a valid licence and workable vehicle or finding someone to drive them to appointments? (13) Is the Minister aware of how many patients, due to the stress of moving away from family for treatment and the declining health impact, have eventually had to relocate to Perth for healthcare and never return to Roebourne, or the Pilbara, to live or visit? (14) Does the Minister believe this to be an acceptable situation? (15) If yes to (14), why? (16) If no to (14), what are the plans and timeframe to rectify the situation?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
23 August 2016
Responded by
Minister for Planning representing the Minister for Health
Response time
63 days
(1) There is no staffed renal dialysis unit in the City of Karratha.
(2) Yes, there are two home dialysis chairs located at Mawarnkarra Health Service (MHS) at Roebourne.
(3) Yes.
(4) The Commonwealth’s ‘ Bringing Renal Dialysis and Support Services Closer to Home Health and Hospital Fund’ initiative is funding the construction of four home haemodialysis renal chairs at the MHS with completion planned mid-2017.
(5) The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) understands that MHS stipulates that for a home haemodialysis (HHD) patient to use their facility they require a carer. It is the patient’s responsibility to identify a person that would be suitable for the role of a carer. It is the intent of the HHD program to support patients to be as independent as possible.
(6) The length of time a carer is away for training is dependent on what role they will take. If a dialysis patient can learn to dialyse independently, then the carer will be in Perth for training for approximately two weeks. If a dialysis patient requires more assistance then the carer will be required to be in Perth longer either for the whole length of training (between four to six weeks) or a larger aspect of it. The key issue is for both the patient and the carer to be well prepared to undertake the HHD remotely to ensure there are no complications for the patient.
(7) Patients attending MHS have key access to the facility, including Saturdays, public holidays and after hours to assist where a carer may work during the day. If the carer is unwell or requires a break, the patient is required to return to another facility during that period.
(8) WACHS is unable to respond to this question as Centrelink is a Commonwealth Government program.
(9) No.
(10) Yes, there are no current plans to include a dialysis unit in the new Karratha Health Campus.
(11) If a patient is unable to use the home dialysis chairs at MHS, the patient is temporarily relocated to Perth whilst their Nephrologist explores other options for their treatment, including dialysis at a Satellite Dialysis Unit.
(12-13) End Stage Chronic Kidney Disease is a complex condition that impacts of a patient’s life in a range of ways. Dialysis is a treatment that is influenced by the patient’s changing clinical needs and personal situation. A number of factors are taken into account when deciding the dialysis treatment modality including availability of resources and a number of personal factors including medical conditions, age, family support, overall health, lifestyle and place of residence. In many cases the remoteness of rural Western Australia (WA) makes home or community-based dialysis the preferred modality in order to reduce the social impact of relocation to urban areas or regional satellite facilities. Within WA there are currently 320 patients receiving dialysis through the Home Therapies program.
(14-16) Improvements are continuing to be made to enable more people to receive care at home. There are a number of clinical, lifestyle and readiness factors that influence where a person can access the required level of treatment.
There has been considerable investment in increased renal and dialysis services over the past four years through the State and Commonwealth. This includes the continued expansion of renal services across regional WA and establishment of renal support teams in the Pilbara, Goldfields and Midwest. The current Chronic Kidney Disease demand modelling produced by WACHS for the Pilbara region indicates that the current resources are currently appropriate for the Pilbara.
(2) Yes, there are two home dialysis chairs located at Mawarnkarra Health Service (MHS) at Roebourne.
(3) Yes.
(4) The Commonwealth’s ‘ Bringing Renal Dialysis and Support Services Closer to Home Health and Hospital Fund’ initiative is funding the construction of four home haemodialysis renal chairs at the MHS with completion planned mid-2017.
(5) The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) understands that MHS stipulates that for a home haemodialysis (HHD) patient to use their facility they require a carer. It is the patient’s responsibility to identify a person that would be suitable for the role of a carer. It is the intent of the HHD program to support patients to be as independent as possible.
(6) The length of time a carer is away for training is dependent on what role they will take. If a dialysis patient can learn to dialyse independently, then the carer will be in Perth for training for approximately two weeks. If a dialysis patient requires more assistance then the carer will be required to be in Perth longer either for the whole length of training (between four to six weeks) or a larger aspect of it. The key issue is for both the patient and the carer to be well prepared to undertake the HHD remotely to ensure there are no complications for the patient.
(7) Patients attending MHS have key access to the facility, including Saturdays, public holidays and after hours to assist where a carer may work during the day. If the carer is unwell or requires a break, the patient is required to return to another facility during that period.
(8) WACHS is unable to respond to this question as Centrelink is a Commonwealth Government program.
(9) No.
(10) Yes, there are no current plans to include a dialysis unit in the new Karratha Health Campus.
(11) If a patient is unable to use the home dialysis chairs at MHS, the patient is temporarily relocated to Perth whilst their Nephrologist explores other options for their treatment, including dialysis at a Satellite Dialysis Unit.
(12-13) End Stage Chronic Kidney Disease is a complex condition that impacts of a patient’s life in a range of ways. Dialysis is a treatment that is influenced by the patient’s changing clinical needs and personal situation. A number of factors are taken into account when deciding the dialysis treatment modality including availability of resources and a number of personal factors including medical conditions, age, family support, overall health, lifestyle and place of residence. In many cases the remoteness of rural Western Australia (WA) makes home or community-based dialysis the preferred modality in order to reduce the social impact of relocation to urban areas or regional satellite facilities. Within WA there are currently 320 patients receiving dialysis through the Home Therapies program.
(14-16) Improvements are continuing to be made to enable more people to receive care at home. There are a number of clinical, lifestyle and readiness factors that influence where a person can access the required level of treatment.
There has been considerable investment in increased renal and dialysis services over the past four years through the State and Commonwealth. This includes the continued expansion of renal services across regional WA and establishment of renal support teams in the Pilbara, Goldfields and Midwest. The current Chronic Kidney Disease demand modelling produced by WACHS for the Pilbara region indicates that the current resources are currently appropriate for the Pilbara.
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