DHF Annual Report 2009 - NT Health Digital Library - Northern ...

Patients requiring services that are not available in Tennant Creek are referred to AliceSprings Hospital through either inter hospital transfers or the Patient Assistance TravelScheme.National Critical Care and Trauma ResponseThe National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) is an AustralianGovernment funded initiative, intended to enhance Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), theGreater Darwin Medical Group and Australia’s regional preparedness to provide a medicalAn agreement with the Australian Government has injected an additional $63 million overfour years into RDH since 2004-05. An additional $57 million is anticipated for the period ofthe next agreement being 2009-10 to 2012-13.To date, $1.3 million has been spent on constructing a multi-purpose facility for the NCCTRCtrauma response continues to increase. Currently there are approximately 65 health careprofessionals employed through the Centre, including 16 Doctors, 10 Nurses and 29 AlliedHealth Professionals augmenting readiness capacity and daily operations of RDH.The NCCTRC has an increasing leadership role in national preparedness by expertparticipation at national committees and forums and providing education and credentialingnationally. The NCCTRC’s priorities in 2009-10 included focusing on preparedness activitiesand returning both experience and learning into the Australian Health Disaster ManagementFramework. Alexandra Hospital Disaster Response Service. This relationship links the Hospital with thefour trauma hospitals in Queensland through their state-wide trauma network. As part of thisavailable at short notice to augment a sustainable response at the Hospital and to enhanceour capacity to maintain core business continuity during incidents.staff to date were completed.The NCCTRC has developed an innovative bar code scanning system utilising barcodesprinted on a new national triage ‘SMART’ tag to track patients involved in mass casualtydisasters. Triaging is a critical component of disaster response and with the use of SmartTags allows patients to be separated into colour coded categories according to injuryNew hand-held 3G enabled bar-code scanners have been programmed and were trialledPatients had paper SMART tags attached during triage process, in this instance the preprintedbar-code was scanned and sent in real time to a specially designed website whichwas accessible by the Emergency Department at RDH. Preliminary results have shownearlier data transfer was received within 25 minutes compared to the normal reporting ofpatient severity and number. Interstate ambulance experts who observed the trial haveprovided positive feedback.Department Health and Families 123