01
Aug
2018
From left: Three dentists participating in the service: Dr Cecilia Mwanje, Dr Benjamin Mansell and Dr Cathy Do.
Dentists from Coffs Harbour didn’t hesitate to put their hands up when a call came from their hospital’s Emergency Department for help in managing dental emergencies. Nearly 30 community-minded dentists volunteered their services.
The Emergency Dental On-Call Service pilot project commenced in July 2018 and will see dentists from Coffs Harbour and nearby volunteering their time to help medical colleagues manage uncertain dental situations. The rostered service will provide a consulting dentist each weekend and a list of emergency dental service options.
Oral conditions are the third-highest reason for preventable hospital admissions in Australia, accounting for more than 63,000 hospitalisations annually. Each year, on average, more than 2200 people are hospitalised with oral health conditions within the North Coast Primary Health Network (NCPHN) footprint (from Tweed Heads to Port Macquarie).
A great many of these cases come through Emergency Departments (EDs).
This not only puts pressure on EDs and their staff, but it’s known that one-off emergency management is seldom the solution to a dental problem. Unfortunately, patients are more likely to make multiple ED visits with the same complaint.
The pilot program is the direct result of consultation through North Coast Primary Health Network between ED representatives and local dentists.
The program organisers – Coffs Harbour dentist Dr Kate Amos and Ms Kirsty Christensen – see the pilot as a concrete example of how facilitating inter-professional conversations can lead to innovations that benefit the community.
The voluntary dental emergency service aims to enhance definitive management and follow-up care, improving the way dental emergencies are managed.
“It’s a great thing to see local dentists banding together and volunteering their own time to help their medical colleagues and the broader community,” said Dr Amos.
“Ultimately, we would like to see fewer dental complaints reaching our ED colleagues. But for now, improving the processes that occur when a patient presents with a dental emergency is our priority.”
Sharyn White, Acting CEO, NCPHN, said the pilot was a great example of how the PHN can develop local solutions to local problems.
“This was a problem identified by the PHN’s Coffs Harbour Clinical Council and then the members worked to broker a local solution. I love seeing these clinician-led initiatives and think we, as an organisation, need to continue to learn how to facilitate more of them”.
The pilot program will run for 12 months, with evaluation occurring throughout. If the service is successful it may be extended.
This initiative is part of a broader movement to improve access to dental care on the North/Mid North Coast and to upskill medical and allied health professionals in this area.
NCPHN Funded Program: Client Success Story
Port Macquarie Trial Site for Mental Health Research
Contact for media enquiries
Janet Grist, NCPHN Media Relations Officer
Phone: 0402 244 419
Strategic Priority Area: One team
North Coast is identified as the region most likely to be impacted by climate change in Australia and also forecasted greatest growth in those 65+.
Healthy North Coast takes a lead role in ensuring the older population and the sector that supports them are prepared for, can respond to and recover from disasters and other emergencies.
We have led eight regional disaster management capacity building workshops, bringing together SES, community organisations and the aged care sector.
We have also developed disaster preparedness tip sheets for both residential and community aged care providers.
Strategic Priority Area: One team
In May 2022, the NSW Parliament passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022. Effective from Tuesday, 28 November 2023, eligible people have the choice to access voluntary assisted dying.
Healthy North Coast has developed a webpage for both health professionals and consumers, with links to available information and resources.
Strategic Priority Area: No one is left behind
Healthy North Coast has worked with people living with dementia, their families and local service providers to develop an information booklet that will help them connect with local and national supports along their journey.
Highly regarded by a range of professional supporting those on or starting the dementia journey, the booklet includes commonly asked questions for people to ask their GP and/or specialist.
“It’s a fantastic resource and I give it to everyone on their first diagnosis. Its easy to read, so well planned and thought through and has lots of really useful information, tailored to the region.
I also find it very helpful when educating clinical staff.”
−Geropsychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Mid North Coast.
The resource is available in digital and printed copies, with more than 5,000 distributed across the region. An e-version is available to clinicians via the Dementia and Cognitive Impairment HealthPathway.
Strategic Priority Area: One team
Empowering aged care teams to deliver safer, more consistent care.
The Deteriorating Resident Triage Tool (DRRT) supports aged care staff to confidently recognise and respond to signs of resident deterioration. It enables timely, evidence-based decisions, strengthens communication with health services, and promotes early intervention and effective care planning, helping residents receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place. By doing so, it reduces unnecessary Emergency Department presentations and improves resident outcomes.
Developed in collaboration with a specialist geriatrician and informed by input from Residential Aged Care Managers, NSW Ambulance, GPs, and clinical experts across the Mid and North Coast Local Health Districts, the DRRT is practical, relevant, and aligned with contemporary best practice.
Aligned with the Strengthened Quality Standards:
Strategic Priority Area: No one is left behind
Care finders is a free service to assist older adults connect to aged care services and supports. Care finders support older people who experience significant barriers to accessing services, and walk alongside their clients at their own pace, to understand their individual situation and support them to work through the steps to address their needs. Care finders assist people with access to other supports in the community. They can provide connections both with accessing services for the first time, and with changing or finding new services and supports if their needs change.
Care finders can:
The care finder program has been extended to June 2029 and is provided by the following organisations. Each (Lismore, Coffs Harbour, Clarence Valley, Richmond Valley, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Kempsey, Nambucca and Bellingen) and Footprints (Kyogle, Tweed, Byron and Ballina).
Strategic Priority Area: Improving Lives Now
Healthy North Coast commissions two service providers to deliver psychological therapies and supports for older people with, or at risk of developing, a mental illness and who are living in residential aged care homes (RACHs).
The aim of the program is to both provide direct support to residents and their families and carers, as well as upskill the RACH workforce to respond to the needs of residents presenting with mental health concerns.
Strategic Priority Area: Securing a Healthier Future
Connection and a sense of belonging are protective factors for both individual and community health and wellbeing. Evidence highlights that the social determinants of health play a critical role in addressing many of our regions health challenges.
That’s why Healthy North Coast has long been committed to supporting communities to strengthen and to build social health. Our initiatives, including contemporary ‘Social Prescribing’, help people to connect to activities, supports and each other, and assist communities to integrate services and bridge gaps.
Strategic Priority Area: Improving Lives Now
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety identified several critical areas affecting aged care residents and our health system. Key challenges include:
Telehealth offers valuable opportunities to enhance support for residents living in aged care homes. Funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, this initiative provides telehealth equipment and staff training as part of the response to the Royal Commission’s findings.
By improving access to primary care clinicians, specialist services, and other service providers through telehealth, we can significantly enhance health outcomes for residents, reducing unnecessary hospital transfers and emergency department visits.
The selection of telehealth equipment was guided by our Healthy Ageing Strategy (HAS), a comprehensive digital discovery questionnaire, and consultation workshops with various stakeholders. These efforts included interviews with residents to understand their attitudes toward telehealth, ensuring the initiative meets their needs and preferences.
Strategic Priority Area: Improving Lives Now
Aims to provide people who have life limiting conditions the opportunity to exercise choice and receive high quality care at home, harnessing improved and better coordinated supports and services that meet their individual needs.
Program objectives:
These objectives will contribute to achieving the following intended overarching outcomes of:
Funding is open to all primary care providers within disaster affected communities across the Healthy North Coast footprint.
Workforce Locum support and R&R funding criteria
Wellbeing Flexible Funding Criteria & Eligibility
| *Team Size (Total staff and contractors) | Funding Available |
| Small (1-5) | $500-$1500 |
| Medium (6-20) | $1500-$4000 |
| Large (>20) | $4000-$5000 |
