The Rapid Response Nursing model supports early intervention for at-risk patients at Canberra Hospital. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A new layer of care is operating across Canberra Hospital to earlier detect a person’s deteriorating condition in the emergency department or on the wards.
The Rapid Response Nursing (RRN) model of care was launched in May to offer timely clinical intervention and prevent acutely unwell patients from getting worse.
Medical Emergency Team clinical nurse consultant Aedon Talsma described the program as an innovative approach to deliver targeted care interventions when they’re needed.
“Our nurses work very collaboratively with nurses and doctors on the wards to assess and manage deteriorations, and hopefully prevent those MET [Medical Emergency Team] activations,” he said.
Rapid Response nurses Courtenay, Erin, Aedon and Dainy with Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith (centre) launching the new model of care to support early intervention for at-risk patients at Canberra Hospital. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
The MET teams are called to provide immediate critical care support to stabilise a patient when a medical emergency arises.
RRNs can organise blood tests or imaging for a patient and develop a plan to prevent further deterioration.
They can be called on by nurses or doctors and the team also monitors patient’s warning scores through the Digital Health Record to make sure people who are going downhill can be quickly seen.
Mr Talsma gave the example of working in the emergency department one night when the RRN team was called to the bedsides of several patients.
“We reversed the deterioration of some of those patients,” he said.
“I had numerous comments from medical and nursing staff at the end of the shift that [they] would have had to activate MET if [we] weren’t around.”
The ACT Government invested more than $4 million to support this initiative and expand the Medical Emergency Team across Canberra Hospital.
It also complements other escalation procedures such as the Call and Respond Early program and the broader MET program.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the RRN’s implementation aligned with broader objectives to reduce preventable harm, support staff capability and deliver safe care across the public health system.
“It’s better for patients because it means their condition doesn’t continue to deteriorate until the point where it becomes an emergency,” she said.
“But also for the staff, that they’re getting that extra little bit of support to manage patients earlier … what we’re trying to do is reduce critical escalation into an emergency and take pressure off the medical emergency teams.”
Mr Talsma said it also provided a more personal touch.
“One thing about our critical care nurses is they don’t have five or six patients to look after, so when they’re with the patient, they’re with the patient,” he said.
“It really helps bring the patient along in their care.”
