Multidisciplinary RACH teams come together to improve ways of working

At Brisbane North PHN's recent Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Care in Residential Aged Care workshops held in North Lakes and Albion, staff from residential aged care homes (RACHs), Metro North Health, primary care and allied health came together to learn how to better work together to improve resident care.

Stemming from feedback that MDT working is more complex in the RACH setting—where members of the team come together from various organisations to collaborate on care—the workshops were very interactive with vibrant discussions from passionate and engaged teams.

The evening was split into two parts, opening with a presentation by Sandstone Healthcare CEO Tracey Johnson and Clinical Director Dr. Suzanne Williams. Both shared their expertise and experiences in improving MDT ways of working in RACHs and care of older people in general practice. This was followed by an interactive scoping and planning session, where participants had the opportunity to apply their learnings to their own specific contexts. Participants found common concerns and issues across RACHs and disciplines. Most planned their actions to implement after the workshop around improving lines of communication or relationships between MDT members.

One of the most popular suggestions was using RACH data to identify a list of higher risk residents and setting up quarterly family case conferencing with these residents alongside a GP, pharmacist, registered nurse/nurse practitioner and allied health. Initial use of this strategy has seen a reduction in incidents and hospital transfers.

Brisbane North PHN Connected Care Lead Sahba Dehghani said it was wonderful to see all disciplines taking ownership for the MDT.

‘It was great to see team members from all disciplines exploring ways they can lead this work in their settings rather than waiting for someone else in the team to get things started,’ she said.

‘There were plans developed for GP-led MDT collaboration, nurse-led initiatives, allied health-led MDT changes, and RACH-led meetings.

‘It was clear that everyone understood that responsibility for improvement is shared and that taking a series of small practical steps is the way forward to genuine improvement.’

Participant feedback from the workshops was overwhelmingly positive, with one participant stating: ‘I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to attend the improving multidisciplinary team care in RACHs workshop.

‘It was a very valuable and informative experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed the session. The presentations, discussions and shared resources provided excellent insights and practical knowledge that will be beneficial in supporting multidisciplinary care within residential aged care.

‘I would be delighted to participate in any future events and learning opportunities alongside my allied health colleagues. Thank you once again for your ongoing dedication to enhancing care outcomes and supporting healthcare professionals in our region.’

Another stated, ‘Thank you for organising such an informative and well-run session. I truly enjoyed attending and found the workshop very valuable. The presentations by Tracey and Dr. Suzanne were excellent and highly engaging’.

Learn more about Brisbane North PHN’s Healthy Ageing work on the PHN Talk blog or stay up to date with the RACH sector via our fortnightly RACH Round Up newsletter.