Transition of Care standard
About Shared care | Principles | Implementation roadmap | Bulletin | Consultation hub
As part of the Shared Care for Allergy project, the National Allergy Council has developed a national standard of care for the transition of allergy care from children’s to adult allergy services. The transition of care standard is for public hospitals and health services, but private health services can also use it.
The standard has been developed to make it easier and more consistent to manage people with allergies as they move from children’s to adult services. It outlines what should happen for children as they approach their teen years, during their teen years and after they become adults, to make sure they receive the right allergy care.
The goal of the transition standard is to make sure that important medical information is clearly communicated between healthcare providers and that patients continue to have access to the allergy care they need. The standard will also focus on helping young people become more independent and take charge of their health as they move into adulthood.
The new transition standard has been developed with input from patients, families, healthcare professionals, healthcare teams, through surveys and workshops and reviewed by expert working groups to make sure the standard works for everyone involved.
Transition of care standard 54 KB
Transition of Care Standard
Quality statement: Effective Transition of Care from Paediatric to Adult Services
Quality statement
There will be effective transition of patients’ care from paediatric to adult allergy healthcare services, ensuring continuity, safety, quality and effectiveness in care delivery, with the adolescent being central to the process.
Intent of the Statement
The development of standard is to guide the transition of care for adolescents with allergies in Australia from paediatric to adult services.
Patient/carer outcome
I can expect my allergy health care providers to work with and help me transition from paediatric to adult services to maintain access to the provision of safe, high-quality and comprehensive allergy care.
Criteria
1.1 Services will develop and utilise clear criteria and methods for assessing transition readiness and prioritisation, with consideration of the adolescent’s medical history, health status, severity, co-morbidities, and psychosocial factors. Where possible, services should align the timing and frequency of appointments with the adolescent with the transition process.
1.2 Services will establish clear referral pathways which enable the adolescent to identify suitable adult clinicians and healthcare teams and understand when and how to access them. Ongoing communication with the adolescent’s GP prior to transition is important to ensure that adolescents who are no longer accessing a paediatric allergy service continue care in an adult setting.
1.3 Services will identify and inform the adolescent of channels and methods of communication between teams, specifying responsible parties and critical information to be shared along with communication frequency.
1.4 Services will ensure accurate, confidential and comprehensive documentation, including patient information such as medical history, medications, treatment plans, and preferences is provided to the adolescent and to the receiving healthcare team, including their general practitioner.
1.5 Services will work in partnership with the adolescent to coordinate the adolescent’s care during transition and assign responsibilities and tasks to appropriate staff or individuals themselves. There will be clear guidance about which service has clinical accountability, at which point in the process.
1.6 Services will commence transfer of care planning with sufficient time and provide the adolescent with a timeline for the transition process and task completion, including escalation pathways should timelines or clinical condition change [a roles and responsibilities of each service will be defined in the model of care].
1.7 Services will review processes about their transition processes from feedback and evaluation received from the adolescent patients’ experiences to ensure ongoing improvement and adherence to protocols.
1.8 Services will use the transfer process as a cue to promote optimal self-management of the adolescent in their allergic condition.
Stay informed
To stay informed about future consultation opportunities and find out how we are progressing:
Follow the National Allergy Council on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram).
Subscribe to the Shared Care for Allergy Bulletin
Helpful information
Principles of shared care for allergy462.29 KB
Shared care for allergy project overview523.73 KB
Shared care for allergy glossary584.89 KB
If you have an enquiry about the project please email
Content created August 2024