Peninsula Health’s Hospital in the Home (HITH) program is a service that provides individualised care for patients in their homes, who would otherwise be having their treatment within the hospital.
“The HITH team consists of medical, nursing, pharmacy and allied health clinicians who each provide safe and effective care for patients in the comfort of their own homes, 24 hours a day,” explains HITH Nurse Unit Manager, Candice Toakley.
Responsible for the nursing team Candice oversees the daily operations of nurses and collaborates with her team to grow the HITH program to provide more opportunities for patients to receive care at home.
“The HITH team are a professional, highly skilled group of clinicians who provide amazing care for our patients,” explains Candice.
“Ensuring they have everything they need to do their jobs is one of my key priorities as the HITH NUM. I work to support them, allowing them to concentrate on what matters most: our patients.”
Candice began her Peninsula Health journey 15 years ago, completing most of her career in Intensive Care and clinical nurse consulting, before making the swap to HITH this year.
“I was attracted to HITH as it’s a focused area of growth in health care,” explains Candice.
“HITH has been operating at Peninsula Health for the last 25 years and patients consistently report positive experiences and improved health outcomes with fewer complications than traditional health care.”
The health service completes almost 15,000 home visits per year, with Frankston HITH nurses traveling from as far as Portsea to Chelsea to care for patients in the comfort of their own homes.
As Candice continues in her new role, she hopes to expand this vital service, providing more home-based care to more patients along the Peninsula and bringing a holistic and individualised approach to health care.
To discover more about the HITH program, click here.