Chronic medication can be collected at baby clinic

A community care worker looks for medication at the new Chronic Dispensing Unit at the Retreat baby clinic.

The Retreat Community Health Centre launched its first “off-site” Chronic Dispensing Unit (CDU) last week.

Patients visiting the clinic to collect their chronic medication can now do so at the baby clinic, opposite the Retreat CHC.

The move was initiated by facility manager, Susan Meyer, together with the management team, pharmacy manager Irshaad Demook
and a team of community health workers, with the first off-site CDU group on duty on Monday February 3.

Ms Meyer said congestion at the clinic had always been an issue because of the pharmacy. “By moving our CDU to our adjacent facility it removes the pressure from the facility and allows patients easier access to the service they need,” she said.

She added that management hoped to duplicate this model in future to areas closer to the homes of patients to make access to this type of health care more readily available.

The CDU will run Monday to Friday.

Mr Demook said patients who missed CDU appointments would be seen to as soon as the day’s medication for CDU patients had been dispensed and that non-collection or non-compliance of CDU patients would result in a patient being removed from CDU list.

Ms Meyer thanked the managers at Retreat CHC, community-based service management at the South-Western Health sub-structure and the Community Care workers for their support in making the patient-centred care initiative possible.