Mater at Home can provide eligible patients with a comfortable, safe and effective alternative to their hospital stay through our Hospital in the Home (HITH) program. While you are on this program, you will remain an inpatient of Mater. However, you'll receive hospital treatment in the comfort of your own home, knowing you have 24 hour access to your treating team. You may be able to have all, or part, of your hospital stay using our Hospital in the Home program.
Hospital in the Home is available to Mater at Home clients 24 hours, seven days a week, caring for people of all ages who require treatment for conditions including serious skin, heart and joint infections, complex wound infections and certain cancers. The care is provided by nurses and doctors, with access to physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology, dietetics, social work and speech pathology when required.
You can ask your doctor or nurse about Hospital in the Home and they will discuss your medical treatment and home environment with you. If you are in a stable condition and your home situation is suitable, you may be able to transition to Hospital in the Home. Once at home, a nurse will visit you each day to attend to intravenous medication and other nursing care. The Hospital in the Home doctor will assess your progress during your treatment and all your medical records are kept fully up to date.
Mater at Home and Mater Cancer Care Centre work together to provide patients with a comfortable chemotherapy experience in their own home. On the advice of your doctor, our home care nurses will provide your chemotherapy treatment, monitoring and education at home, rather than making the journey into the centre.
How it works
Prior to your at-home treatment: If you are receiving a treatment that is suitable and safe to be given at home, your doctor will discuss this option with you. If you would like to receive some of your treatments at home, a treatment plan will be discussed and you will receive some extra information.
- Two days prior to your treatment you will need to have your blood tests as usual.
- One day prior to your home treatment, you will have a telehealth appointment with your specialist doctor.
The day of your at-home treatment: A specialist clinical nurse will call you to check on your wellbeing and confirm the time of your appointment. When the nurse arrives, they will connect in with the Mater Cancer Care Centre oncology nurse via teleconference and your medication will be checked. The nurse will stay with you during your treatment.
Please discuss the chemotherapy in the home program with your doctor to see if this treatment is right for you. If you are eligible, you can find more information from the nursing team at Mater Cancer Care Centre, by calling 07 3163 5200 or email materathome@mater.org.au and our team will take your details and provide you with all required resources.
Our team can also provide a range of post-acute care services for patients from any Brisbane hospital. This program allows patients to receive on going nursing and allied health care so that they can safely transition home to continue their recovery. Post-acute care is available for all age groups and eligibility for the service is determined by the hospital responsible for your discharge.
Mater at Home is a registered Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) provider and is also registered with many Home Care Package (HCP) providers to provide nursing and allied health services in the home. We can accept Commonwealth Home Support Program referrals with a My Aged Care referral and can also accept referrals from your Home Care Package Case Manager. Mater at Home can provide services through your private health fund. Simply get in touch with them to see what you are covered for. We also provide services for WorkCover and Compulsory Third Party (CTP) clients, once approved by your case manager.
You can find out more information about these packages and aged care arrangements here.