Services & Departments

Barwon Health Community Nursing offers comprehensive and compassionate nursing care in your home. Community Nursing consists of three integrated teams based at Barwon Health’s Newcomb, Belmont and Corio community health centres.

We provide in-home nursing care in the Geelong region with service delivery areas including, Little River and Anakie, Anglesea and Moriac and extending from Leopold to Batesford. We work in close partnership with our hospitals, allied health professionals, general practitioners (GPs) and community organisations in Geelong and surrounds to support you in your home environment.

Services

Our focus is on helping maintain your independence, while delivering the best clinical care to suit your needs. We encourage all clients to participate in decisions about their health. We are a nursing service that provides advice, education and support leading to selfmanagement and independence. A nursing assessment will be conducted to identify your needs and the ability of the community nursing service to meet those needs. A commitment to ongoing care from the community nursing service will depend on the outcome of the assessment. Consideration is given to your own ability to support your care needs. This includes education or referral to allied health and resources available to you in the community including family/friends that are able to provide support, private services, aged care packages and local government agency support.

Clinical services include:

• Comprehensive assessment of your health needs
• Acute and chronic wound assessment and management
• Diabetes education and monitoring
• Continence management
• Hospital in the Home service
• Post-acute care
• Medication assessment
• Support and care of the terminally ill (inhome palliative care). 

Community nursing does not provide long-term personal care (showers), medication monitoring, application of creams and stocking application and removal.

Eligibility

Our service is available to any community member of any age who requires nursing assistance to manage their healthcare needs. Aged Care Facilities Residents of high-level residential aged care facilities are eligible for the community nursing service. A fee will be charged to the facility not the client. Department of Veterans’ Affairs Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) clients can elect to nominate Barwon Health Community Nursing as their service provider, however normal fees will apply as clients are unable to claim through DVA.

Accessing the service

Anyone can refer to Community Nursing and self-referrals, including those from carers, are welcome. Alternatively your GP, medical practitioner, treating hospital or allied health professional can refer you to the community nursing service. Once your referral is received, we will contact you to organise an appointment. When making an appointment, please let us know if you need assistance with communication (e.g. an interpreter). Interpreting services will be provided for you if required. Clients aged over 65 years can access the community nursing service via My Aged Care.  

Nursing team

Our teams consist of experienced and professional nursing staff. We aim to provide consistency with nursing staff, however you should expect to see a number of nurses during your time with community nursing. Our nurses, with your consent, will help connect you to services that you may require to address more specific issues.

We are closely aligned with allied health services within Barwon Health and can assist you with referrals to:

• Occupational therapy
• Podiatry
• Diabetes education
• Specialist wound care nurses
• Continence specialists
• Dietitians
• Community health nurses
• Hospital Admissions Risk Program (HARP).

We will communicate with your GP and other services as required.