Partnership to help raise standards in Australian aged care through multidisciplinary collaboration

Following the success of the CAREFUL digital platform’s pilot implementation with Leecare at Melbourne’s residential care facility Abberfield, [see CAREFUL blog], the CEOs of both organisations are delighted to announce that the partnership will now replicate, expand and transform real time coordination for the residential and community care ecosystem across Australia. This will build upon the impressive results achieved during the Melbourne trial led by Dr Henry Konopnicki earlier this year.

The partnership comes at an opportune time to ensure that the coordination of care for the elderly by multiprofessional teams aligns to the federal government’s new standards for Strengthening Medicare measure of encouraging multidisciplinary team-based care.

Dr Caroline Lee, CEO and founder of Leecare, has built Platinum6 to be the most advanced, fully integrated aged and community care system in the industry, and incorporating CAREFUL into the platform is an important addition to making sure that every detail of care is covered.

“The CAREFUL App and Leecare partnership enables a secure and accountable communication loop that supports all organisations using Leecare to professionally allocate app-based messages to all members of the healthcare team for congruent data sharing of resident and client needs. A great partnership that supports our client base” says Lee.

Dr DJ Hamblin-Brown, CEO of CAREFUL, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “Before using CAREFUL, real-time communication and coordination between the GP, residential care staff, the pharmacy and allied healthcare professionals meant time was being wasted chasing and being chased on tasks, follow up and handovers. This presented potential risk to patients, frustration for those providing care and an inability to fully safeguard against medication errors. 

“Our successful pilot demonstrated CAREFUL’s potential to transform efficiency and safety in looking after our most vulnerable and those looking after them. By joining forces with Leecare, we can extend these benefits to a much wider range of facilities and providers, including mental health support in the community.”

The Melbourne pilot, which involved a 140-bed residential aged care home, community pharmacy, mental health facility, GP service and nurse practitioner team, showed significant improvements in several important areas:

• 91% of staff reported enhanced safety
• 97% of nurses experienced better communication with doctors
• 91% of staff noted improved workflow
• GPs saved 30–60 minutes daily, with even greater after-hours efficiencies

“Integrating CAREFUL’s real-time communication platform with our comprehensive care management system will create a powerful tool for aged care providers. This collaboration addresses the sector’s pressing need for streamlined, efficient and safe care coordination, with the expectation of significant reduction in medication errors, the saving of time for clinicians and the overall enhancement of the quality of care for their elderly patients,” says Lee.

As the aged care sector continues to face challenges in coordination and communication, this partnership between CAREFUL and Leecare represents a significant step towards a more connected, efficient and safe future for aged care in Australia.

If you practice as a GP or within a residential care facility, hospital, pharmacy or mental health facility and are looking to build a collaborative care ecosystem for those under your care, please get in touch.