February 15, 2024A new paediatric service has launched this week at Kilmore District Hospital, as part of Northern Health’s commitment to providing better connected care, and ensuring we are meeting our communities needs now, and into the future.
The newly established service provides support to young children who experience developmental and behavioural issues. This includes children experiencing speech delay, concerns of autism, concerns of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and significant levels of anxiety, particularly post-COVID.
Many of these children are eligible for NDIS funding, and the team at Kilmore is focused on recognising and treating concerns before they commence school and getting them linked with the most appropriate services early.
The clinic operates four days a week and is staffed by two community fellows and a paediatric consultant, supported by onsite nursing and administrative support. The clinicians also provide outreach clinics to local maternal child health nursing and community health centres. These clinics accept referrals from, not only GPs, but also maternal child health nurses and school nurses, enabling greater access to care.
“By servicing the Mitchell Shire region and in particular Kilmore itself, we wanted to focus on some of the most vulnerable families and young children who, at the moment, are facing long wait times to be seen,” said Dr David Tran, Divisional Director, Women’s and Children’s Services.
“It is a fantastic, and really exciting new service in a region where there is a huge need. Hopefully this will streamline services and enable some of these patients to get the care that they need faster, and closer to home.”
Dr Daniel Tsen, General Paediatrician, looks forward to its positive impact in the local community.
“It is fantastic that paediatric services are more accessible for community in Mitchell Shire region. This allows us to deliver better paediatric care by working closely with families locally,” he said.
“Through clinics at Kilmore District Hospital and community outreach centres, paediatric community fellows will also gain invaluable experiences in community medicine, consolidating their professional development as future paediatricians.”
Cooper was the very first patient to access this new service on Tuesday, 13 February 2024.
Cooper’s mum, Jordy, is excited to see the progress he will make under the care of the paediatric team at Kilmore District Hospital.
“It’s really good that we now have local access to these health services, not only for ourselves, but also for our children, and not have to travel far away, or be on a massive waitlist,” said Jordy.
Dr Tran also spoke of the other benefits of having a paediatric team onsite at Kilmore District Hospital.
“The other benefit of having the clinics here is that we will also have paediatricians on site, who can help support other services like the Urgent Care Centre. That’s something we’d be really keen to explore,” he said.
Dr Daniel Tsen with Jordy and Cooper
Featured image: Jennifer Gilham, Divisional Director, Community Hospitals, Dr David Tran, Divisional Director, Women’s and Children’s Services, Dr Daniel Tsen, General Paediatrician, James Walker, Outpatient Administration Coordinator, Paediatrics, and Jennifer Grech, Team Leader, Kilmore District Hospital Outpatients
