Home parenteral nutrition is a life-sustaining therapy for people with intestinal failure and other conditions that prevent adequate nutrition from being absorbed through the digestive system.
Until now, patients requiring this highly specialised treatment have often needed to travel regularly to Sydney for review and ongoing management.
The new Murrumbidgee-based service will enable patients to receive specialist care and support closer to home, reducing the burden of travel and improving access to treatment for people living in regional and rural communities.
MLHD is among the first regional health services in Australia to establish a Home Parenteral Nutrition Program.
The service has been established in collaboration with dietetics, nursing, pharmacy, intensive care medicine and administration teams and has been made possible through a strong partnership between the District and the Home Parenteral Nutrition Team at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
Clinicians from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital recently transitioned the first patient to the new service in Murrumbidgee and visited Wagga Wagga Base Hospital to provide education and training to local healthcare staff and formally inaugurate the service.
The service will create opportunities for greater collaboration with leading specialist centres, support research and innovation, and strengthen the future of specialist nutrition services in regional NSW.
