Services respond to demand at Warwick Hospital

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More Warwick residents are benefitting from receiving health care closer to home thanks to the efforts of staff at the local hospital.

Staff have been working hard to ensure appropriate clinical care can be safely delivered from the Southern Downs hospital.

This week, the Darling Downs Health Board met in Warwick as part of its regular schedule to convene in rural hospital settings. The meeting was an opportunity to highlight these innovations and the growth in services at Warwick Hospital.

“The hospital currently has a range of ambulatory services on offer which enable residents to receive the best care and treatment in the best place,” Nurse Unit Manager Robyn Cameron said.

“Ambulatory services are basically the kinds of services whereby patients can walk in and receive their care, and walk out again, within usually a few hours.

“This includes our dialysis service and telechemotherapy services.”

Renal dialysis services started in Warwick in September 2021 with two patients. The service now provides care to six patients who previously would have needed to travel to Toowoomba to receive dialysis.

“This service has really given patients and their families a big chunk of their lives back,” Robyn said.

“Some patients need dialysis three times a week, so being able to provide that treatment and service in their hometown is significant.”

Similarly, the telechemotherapy service continues to grow, supporting patients to receive low-dose chemotherapy locally rather than traveling to Toowoomba.

Alongside the expansion in services, is the installation of new equipment to support clinical services. This includes a new analyser in the Warwick pathology laboratory which will decrease processing times and increase the number of tests performed locally.

Darling Downs Health Board Chair Mike Horan congratulated Warwick staff for advocating for their patients.

“Rural hospitals are often the lifeblood of local communities like Warwick, now more than ever people want to be able to access safe health care close to home."

Darling Downs Health Board Chair Mike Horan

“The Board is focused on supporting staff to ensure they can provide the very best care for their communities.”