Paediatric clinic brings care closer to home in Ingham

A family-centered initiative at the Ingham Health Service has delivered care for children in the Hinchinbrook region in their home town thanks to the introduction of a new paediatric outreach clinic.

The clinic sees Townsville Hospital paediatric staff specialist Dr Michalis Yiallourides visit the Ingham Health Service monthly, saving families from travelling to Townsville for important medical appointments.

Dr Yiallourides said the clinic cared for newborns and adolescents aged up to 16 years of age with a range of developmental, behavioral conditions and complex chronic conditions (such as).

“Our paediatric department aspires to provide families with care that is coordinated and delivered as close to home as possible, he said.

“We know how important it is to offer accessibility to care closer to people’s homes and know that it is often a relief for parents knowing they can access appointments for their children without travelling out of town.”

The clinic has made a world of difference for Ingham local Shondelle Jones and her 11-year-old daughter Cassie who suffers two rare conditions called sarcoidosis and uveitis.

Shondelle said having the clinic based locally had completely changed her family’s life.

“With Cassie’s condition she can suffer from bad pain which most commonly affects her legs and eyes but it can affect any organ at any time,” she said.

“Over the years Cassie has had to take time off school and miss out on things that her friends were doing due to her condition.

“On top of this we were travelling to Townsville for appointments nearly every two weeks which really affected Cassie.”

Shondelle said since the clinic commenced in Ingham their travel to Townsville was reduced substantially to only one trip every three months.

“The rest of our care is provided in Ingham by Dr Yiallourides and child health nurse Jeanette Masters,” she said.

“We are even able to get all of Cassie’s medication in Ingham; Cassie only needs to be out of school for an hour instead of a whole day for her appointments and I can still pick my other children up from school.

“Cassie is definitely a lot happier receiving her care in Ingham and I could tell it was getting her down missing out on so much school and time with friends.”

“The clinic coming to Ingham has meant Cassie can go about her normal life much like the other kids her age.”

Shondelle said Dr Yiallourides and Jeanette were second-to-none when it came to paediatric care.

“They go above and beyond and are always looking to make life easier for Cassie,” she said.

“Cassie is really comfortable around them both and knows if she has any questions all she has to do is ask.”

Dr Yiallourides said the clinic had cared for 60 patients since it was introduced and had conducted 15 tele-health appointments for follow-up or urgent reviews.

“Some children who have rare and complex conditions, however; will still have appointments at the Townsville Hospital,” he said.

“We also offer Telehealth assessments in between outreach clinics.”

Dr Yiallourides said the clinic was conducted with support of Ingham Health Service senior medical officers and child health nurse.

“This helps us to build confidence and skills in our rural generalist doctors when treating paediatric patients,” he said

“We also have worked closely with clinicians within hospital and with primary health physicians who play an important role in identifying patients who may benefit from the clinic.”

Dr Yiallourides said local families had welcomed the new clinic.

“The feedback from the local community and medical community has been great,” he said.

“It’s been positive to see so many local families put at ease by being able to attend appointments locally and avoiding the stress of travel and having to reschedule work arrangements etc.”

Referrals to the clinic are welcomed and can be provided by their local doctor.

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