We provide two complementary services to help families of children with chronic and complex health care needs across Queensland and northern New South Wales:

• Connected Care Program
• Nurse Navigators

The two programs are both coordinated from the Queensland Children’s Hospital. The teams work together to improve access to specialist paediatric services and support for children with complex and chronic health conditions and their families, regardless of where they live in Queensland. By improving communication and linkages between health care providers, the programs ensure a child’s care is managed seamlessly across acute, community and primary healthcare sectors.

We have regional care coordinators located in Bundaberg, Cairns, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Ipswich, Mackay, Mt Isa, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Townsville to help families across Queensland and northern New South Wales. There are an additional six care coordinators who work with families across the Greater Brisbane area.

The role of care coordinators is to coordinate access to health care providers and support services families need for their child, both within the hospital and health service where they live and, if required, across the state. They provide a single point of contact for families for support and assistance.

Nurse Navigators, based at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, work with families and hospital doctors to identify and monitor the healthcare requirements of children with high needs, develop tailored care plans and facilitate timely access to appropriate services.

These specialist nurses support families in the areas of total parenteral nutrition (intravenous feeding), home ventilation (children dependent on respiratory support), and General Paediatrics and Transition (supporting patients and their families whose care is transferring to adult services or alternate health service providers within the community). A dedicated nurse navigator is also available to assist families from rural and remote areas of Queensland access health and support services in Brisbane.

Parents or carers are central members of a child’s health team. You will continue to manage your child’s day-to-day care, with the help of additional support. To ensure we provide you and your child with the best possible care, we ask you to:

• Work in partnership with the Connected Care and/or Nurse Navigator team and lead medical specialist;
• Share your child’s characteristics and strengths with their care team, so his/her care plan is both holistic and specific to them; and
• Work with your care coordinator to develop and implement a care plan.

The role of care coordinators is to coordinate access to health care providers and support services families need for their child, both within the hospital and health service where they live and, if required, across the state. They provide a single point of contact for families for support and assistance.

The Connected Care and Nurse Navigator Programs help families with children with chronic and complex health conditions who see multiple specialists on a regular basis. To participate in the program, new patients must be under 16. We work with existing and continuing patients until the age of 18, towards a successful transition to adult health services.

For referrals to Connected Care and Nurse Navigators, please arrange a referral from your doctor, or a senior nurse or senior allied health professional, for example a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietician, etc.