Director of nursing experiences of a hospital in the nursing home program in South East Queensland

In Australia there is limited access to acute care support for residents living within the residential aged care sector. Competing demands from families, residents, government agencies and the acute care sector has meant that staff with the sector struggle often to meet the acute care needs of residents, leading sometimes to transfer of residents to emergency departments with major hospitals. Hospital in the nursing home is a care delivery model designed to reduce transfers, facilitate appropriate care intervention, effectively utilize existing health resources, and extend support to the residential care sector. This research project used an interpretive qualitative framework to explore through focus group method, hospital in the home experiences of 20 residential care Directors of Nursing in South East Queensland. Research outcomes emphasize hospital in the nursing home as a mutually beneficial support strategy that can improve residential based management of acute and chronic illness, can positively assist family support, and assists with decision making and ongoing communication. Hospital in the home emphasises a move from hospital destination based acute care services to community based delivery supported by a multidisciplinary team.