PODSS CNCs Michelle Melgar and Jessie Smiles
Surgical patients can now phone it in from the comfort of their own homes thanks to a new Post Operative Discharge Support Service (PODSS) pilot introduced at PA Hospital this month.
Implemented at PAH’s Orthopaedics and General Surgery (Gen Surg) units as part of a statewide program rollout, PODSS connects eligible patients with a direct line of support through a Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) for up to 30 days post-discharge.
Gen Surg CNC Michelle Melgar (commenced 10 June) and Orthopaedics CNC Jessie Smiles (commenced 24 June) are behind the new service, providing phone support five days a week, while digitally coordinating notes, patient files and follow-up with the treating team.
The advantage of PODSS is in its streamlined approach that optimises the line of communication between patient and medical team.
“Historically, if a patient had a concern, they would call the ward and could be passed around to five or six different people. Now they can just call us directly, and we have the resources to know where to direct them,” explained Jessie.
With more than 20 years of specialist Hepatobiliary and Gen Surg nursing experience behind her, Michelle has worked extensively in surgical and community nursing roles in Australia and the UK, bringing a wealth of knowledge to the new service.
After a successful two-week headstart at Gen Surg, Michelle says the benefits of the new service are resonating among both the patients and the staff who rely on it, while importantly easing pressure on the busy ED.
“So far I’ve had quite a few calls and a lot of really lovely and grateful patients,” she said.
“The aim of this service is to provide patients direct access to post-op support, advice, and medical review if needed, so they don’t have to re-present to ED to get those things.
“The best thing about this role is linking with community services and those nurses who are often isolated. I can chat to the doctors and give the nurse direct feedback or advice, which is really valuable because they don’t have to refer the patient back to ED.”
After nine years of Orthopaedic nursing, Jessie embraced the opportunity to join the new service as the inaugural Ortho PODSS CNC.
“It’s really exciting to start something new and build up a service that will be really good for patients.
“This service is so beneficial because patients can get the reassurance they need from home, even if they just have a question about something simple,” she said.
With a promising start to the launch that complements positive statewide data on the service, Jessie and Michelle look forward to seeing PODSS grow to reach more PAH patients as it evolves.
“Although we’re still in the trial phase, the service has been proven to work based on statewide data, so our vision is to keep that going and hopefully reach more services at PAH,” said Michelle.