Nursing

BlueCare has a long history of nursing ever since the very first Blue Nurse, Sister Olive Crombie, boarded a tram in 1953 to visit a patient at their Brisbane home. Today, our BlueCare nurses travel by car and visit homes across Queensland, helping people to remain living independently.

Caring and compassionate, our nurses focus on the treatment and monitoring of medically diagnosed clinical conditions. We use the latest advances in tele-health, technology and evidence-based practice. From dispensing regular injections to monitoring and dressing wounds, our nurses provide an important service to people who are recovering from an incident or illness, or who are living with a chronic health problem.

Community nursing in the home

BlueCare provides general and post-acute nursing care in your home, treating and monitoring medically diagnosed clinical conditions. Our home nurses can also review your medications and conduct dementia assessments. And if you’re coming out of hospital, we will work with your medical team to develop a care and support plan that meets your needs.

Wound Care Clinics

As well as in-home wound care nursing, BlueCare operates specialised wound care clinics at BlueCare Redcliffe Community Care and at BlueCare Caloundra Community Care. These clinics are led by nurse practitioners and provide expert wound management for clients with complex acute and chronic wounds.

Patients often benefit from a weekly visit to the clinic, to augment the care they receive during home visits. Call our Customer Service team on 1300 258 322 for more information.

Nursing and disability

BlueCare provides a range of nursing supports to people with a disability. Not all nursing supports are funded by the NDIS, which covers only those considered to be “capacity building”, such as training by a nurse to enable you, someone else, or a support worker to undertake supports such as medication prompting and wound care; or assessment by a qualified nurse on what services and level of support you need, for example continence assessments. The state health system is used to fund all other nursing services, including ongoing nursing supports related to your disability.

Nursing in Residential Aged Care Homes

In our aged care homes, clinical nurses work with registered and enrolled nurses, as well as personal carers, to oversee your health. When you move into one of our aged care residences, you will complete an assessment and planning session to determine your nursing care. Our nurses are then in charge of six-monthly health reviews to make sure you receive the health support you need.

Hospital in the Home

Hospital in the Home (HITH) is a Queensland Government program that provides short-term acute care in the home for people who would otherwise need to be in hospital. 
As part of the HITH program, BlueCare can nurse patients with medical conditions that are safe and appropriate for home treatment, working alongside your hospital medical team to develop a personalised care plan. Eligibility will depend on your treatment requirements.
Among the conditions suited to Hospital in the Home are:

• Skin inflammations or infections
• Blood clot
• Pneumonia or other chest infections
• Kidney or urinary tract infections
• Mastitis
• Diverticulitis or appendicitis

BlueCare provides Hospital in the Home services are available from Mackay Base Hospital, and we hope to expand the service to other hospitals. 
For more information on Hospital in the Home, talk to your hospital medical team.