HCF pledge funds for dementia care research

11 May 2015

The HCF, a BCCM member, has pledged more than half a million dollars to a major clinical study into an innovative program which could improve the hospital care experience for patients with dementia, and their carers. Following an initial clinical study conducted by the Clinical Excellence Commission supported by the HCF Research Foundation, results demonstrated improvements in patient outcomes and carer satisfaction.

The study analyses the impact of introducing the TOP 5 program, which involves a patient’s primary carer sharing five tips about the patient with clinicians on admission to hospital. The tips are then used by the hospital team to develop a strategy to better manage patient care. The program takes about 20 minutes to implement for each patient. The research examines the impact of the TOP 5 Program across 17 public and four private hospitals in NSW between 2012 and 2013. Mutuals across Australia reinvest all their profits in the country and support important projects like research into the future health of Australians.