Services

Author: Di Thornton

Publishing date: 20 January 2006 12:25pm

• The Accident & Emergency Department operates 24 hours a day. Most nursing staff members have completed the Extended Practice Course for Nurses which is recognised by the Department of Health in SA.
• The hospital has a very active Outreach Department which provides in home care for the aged, frail and disabled in the community over seven days a week. Care is also offered to clients who are transferred back from other centres following surgery for dressings and visits etc. Respite services are offered for carers in the community via the Day Care Centre and also by providing residential respite care when required.
• The hospital staff are actively involved in Health Promotion Activities and annually at the Pinnaroo Show the hospital hosts a Health Promotion Tent where the community can get free health checks. Some of the successful health promotion activities that the hospital has conducted include suicides awareness evenings, women’s health days, men’s health evenings, diabetes clinics, and Lymphoedema clinics.
• The hospital promotes staff education due to the remoteness of the area and provides support for staff to attend external education. There are a number of Allied Health Services available through the hospital and these are a Physiotherapist, and Aromatherapist/masseuse, Podiatrist, Occupational therapist, Social worker, Mental Health worker, Cancer support Nurse, Continence Nurse, Youth worker, and a Arts in Health worker.
• In the past, the hospital has an active Friends of the Pinnaroo Hospital who have raised many thousands of dollars towards for purchases for the hospital. Unfortunately the Friends of the Hospital are in recess at present due to dwindling numbers.
• Pinnaroo Hospital also houses a videoconferencing unit, which is used for telemedicine consultations on a regular basis. The videoconference unit can also be used in the Accident and Emergency Department for Trauma patients, and on call Intensive Care specialist can provide advice on treatment options prior to the Retrieval teams arriving.
• Pinnaroo Hospital is also a member of the ICAR network (Integrated Cardiac Rural Network). This network provides on call Cardiologists 24 hours a day for any cardiac clients that present to the Accident and Emergency Department. If necessary these clients can be transferred to metropolitan health units.
• Pinnaroo is serviced by both the Helicopter and fixed wing aeroplanes of the RFDS and Adelaide Retrieval Teams in cases of medical emergencies.