‘Tailor-made’ care

After months of consultation and planning, UnitingCare Queensland’s Blue Care has launched a new service model, Blue Care Tailor Made.

Blue Care executive director, Robyn Batten (pictured), said the new model, which would guide and shape the organisation’s services, would be implemented at Blue Care’s 260 sites over the next two years.

“The new model builds on our strengths and creates services which are ‘tailor-made’ to suit the 49,000 individuals we assist across Queensland and northern New South Wales every year,” she said.

A focus of Blue Care Tailor Made was to offer services which were “flexible, appropriate, sustainable and seamless” – working in partnership with families, friends, other health providers and communities.

Services would still be offered in people’s homes and across Blue Care’s retirement living, community and residential aged care settings.

“Clients and families will continue to receive the quality care and assistance they expect from Blue Care, and will be offered more choice and flexibility,” Ms Batten said.

“Blue Care Tailor Made is an approach actively listening to the needs and wants of each of the people we assist.

“A person can engage with one or several components of our new model at any time to receive a combination of care and services that is right for them.”

According to Ms Batten, people would be at the centre, and rather than provide a list of services to clients, they would be able to inform Blue Care about what they need.

“We will work with them to find options to suit them. Clients will be the driver, not the passenger, of the services they choose to use,” she added.

More than 500 clients, families, staff and health industry leaders helped develop?inform the model’s design, which was Blue Care’s response to an “ever-changing and emerging aged and community care environment”.

“The needs and expectations of individuals and communities are changing; government policy is changing and there are increasing numbers of people needing support,” Ms Batten said.

“The service model will be a common reference guide for staff, which defines the services we provide to people through the ageing process and life’s changes.”           

Supporting staff to “bring the model to life” would now be the next focus, according to Ms Batten.

“Just as individuals are unique, so are the communities in which Blue Care operates, which is why the model’s design will be flexible to suit each metropolitan, regional and rural location,” she said.