Hunter Primary Care maintains services and supports in time of crisis

This is sponsored content for Hunter Primary Care.

In these times of uncertainty and change it is important that the community continue to access supports and services to look after their health and wellbeing.

Hunter Primary Care is working hard to make sure its clients feel connected and supported during the unprecedented disruptions caused by Coronavirus.

Continuing their strong community focus, Hunter Primary Care's services, including Aboriginal health and wellbeing, NDIS services, chronic disease management and Mental Health and wellbeing services, remain in operation during the pandemic.

A priority for the organisation from the outset has been to make sure all clients feel supported, whether it be via regular phone calls, email or video consultations.

"Our customer base is large and varied," Hunter Primary Care CEO Brenda Ryan said.

"We offer services to people of all ages, from children to the elderly, and vulnerable people who all need varying levels of support, whether it be short-term psychology services or long-term chronic disease management.

"It's important that we are able to tailor services to each individual. With so many changes being experienced, consistency in our service delivery is key. The major challenge for us has been adapting quickly so that we can continue to offer our services and supports over new technological mediums.

"We had been trialling telehealth and video consultations within our NDIS, mental health and Allied Health teams before COVID--19 struck. The use of these services has been expedited not only within these teams, but across the entire organisation as a result of the pandemic.

"Our Psychology Services team, in particular, has adapted quickly and clients are now embracing these new methods.

"Approximately five per cent of our Psychology Services clients have preferred to keep seeing our staff in-person so this required us to ensure the safety of our community and also our staff.

"To do that, we adhere to government physical distancing guidelines and practise strict personal hygiene, which allows us to continue to treat those clients in person."

Hunter Primary Care's ability to respond to the unprecedented challenges has been received well by staff and clients. While many staff members have adapted to different ways of service delivery, it is extremely important to the organisation to ensure the same high-level, quality care and support is delivered, albeit delivered in a different way.

"We're lucky that we have been able to adapt and offer services to suit the needs of each individual client, whether that be to continue to see them face-to-face or virtually," Brenda said.

"Our service levels have remained similar to what they were prior to the pandemic, with some areas increasing in demand.

"Our employees have also appreciated the additional measures we have put in place to make sure they remain safe as well.

"We hope that by implementing these measures we have played a part in flattening the curve and slowing the spread of COVID-19."

Hunter Primary Care delivers health and wellness services to the people of Newcastle and the Hunter Region.

Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing services focus on improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

"This includes providing support and finding culturally appropriate health services, helping clients to identify health needs and helping them to manage their long-term illnesses and providing guidance for those with severe mental health and wellbeing issues to access support," Brenda said.

Hunter Primary Care's Mental Health and Wellbeing services include providing early psychological intervention to people experiencing mild to moderate mental health and drug use difficulties.

The organisation also delivers psychosocial support to people with a severe mental illness to build daily living skills, as well as non-clinical care to individuals following a suicide attempt and support to people transitioning out of specialist mental health services into primary care.

"We are also the lead agency for headspace Newcastle," Brenda added.

Hunter Primary Care are experts in NDIS Support Coordination. The NDIS team works closely with participants to connect them with services to make sure they get the most out of their NDIS plan.

"We also have specialist Allied Health professionals who can provide tailored exercise and nutritional plans to manage participants' disability, health, and wellbeing," Brenda said.

General Health and Wellbeing services include providing clinical support and advice for Residential Aged Care Facilities staff and delivering primary and allied health services to rural locations in the Hunter region.

For more information about how Hunter Primary Care can help support you or someone you care for contact the friendly team on (02) 4925 2259 or visit: https://hunterprimarycare.com.au/

This is sponsored content for Hunter Primary Care.