Who can be admitted to Wallaby?

Wallaby Ward supports providing medical care in the patient’s own home. This has multiple benefits to both the child and family including less disruption to family routines, better quality sleep and less costs involved in travelling to and from the hospital.

The requirements for a Wallaby admission are that a child:

• Is following an expected disease trajectory
• Requires daily or twice daily interventions
• Has a safe home environment
• Parents have provided consent
• Lives within 60km of RCH (unless an outsourcing agency can be organised by Wallaby, which we can usually do)
• International patients need to have prior Exec approval to come to Wallaby

Children can be admitted to Wallaby:

• Under an inpatient team bedcard, either directly from the Emergency Department or from the ward
• Under the Wallaby bedcard if they have been discussed with the Wallaby registrar or consultant 

For any complex referrals please call the Wallaby Fellow on #52784

Common conditions and interventions managed on Wallaby

• Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (Guideline pending)
• Antimicrobial administration (intravenous) Guideline
• Antibiotic monitoring Guideline
• Antifungal prophylaxis (intravenous) (link to CPG on antifungals)
• APAP initiation/titration (Guideline pending)
• Appendicitis Guideline
• Autoimmune neutropenia with fever (Guideline pending)
• Bacteraemia/central venous catheter infection Guideline
• Bronchiolitis i) monitoring only Guideline ii) home oxygen Guideline
  
• Cardiac assessment Guideline
• Cellulitis Guideline
• Central venous catheter care (Guideline pending)
• Chemotherapy administration Guideline
• Clexane administration support Guideline
• Constipation Guideline
• COVID-19 (Omicron update) Guideline
• Cystic fibrosis/bronchiectasis exacerbation 'tune-up' Guideline
• Diabetes education and transition to home (Guideline pending)
• Eating disorders (Guideline pending)
• Eczema Guideline
• Enzyme replacement (Guideline pending)
• Febrile neutropenia Guideline
  
• Gastric aspirates for TB diagnosis Guideline
• GCSF/GMCSF administration (Guideline pending)
• Hydration assessment (Guideline pending)
• Hydration pre/post chemotherapy (link to CCC webpage)
• Immunisations (Guideline pending)
• Infant feeding difficulty support (Guideline pending)
• Infantile spasms (Guideline pending)
  
• Lymphadenitis Guideline
• Methylprednisolone administration Guideline
• Meningitis and shunt infection Guideline
  
• Nasogastric tube feeding support Guideline
• Osteomyelitis/septic arthritis Guideline
• Overnight oximetry Guideline
• Oxycapnography (Guideline pending)
  
• Parenteral nutrition support (Guideline pending)
• Periorbital cellulitis Guideline
• Pneumonia Guideline
• Respiratory assessment (Guideline pending)
• Sleep study (polysomnography) (Guideline pending)
• Stoma care (Guideline pending)
• Tonsillectomy post-care (Guideline pending)
• Urinary tract infection/pyelonephritis Guideline
• Wound care Guideline
  

This list is not exhaustive and we are always keen to try and support children going home, so please call us if you think we might be able to help you with your patient!

How do I know my patient is appropriate for Wallaby Ward?

If you have any questions about whether Wallaby Ward is the right place for your patient, please call us and ask.

How do I refer to Wallaby Ward on the EMR?

Making a referral to the Wallaby Ward can only be done through EMR. Simply follow the steps below:

1. Open PATIENT CHART
   
2. Access ORDER SETS
3. Type "HITH" in Place new order on Orders Sidebar
4. Select IP HITH and complete details
5. ACCEPT and SIGN the order
6. Do a MEDICATION RECONCILIATION [hyperlink to https://www.rch.org.au/emr-project/learning-resources/Pharmacy_-_medication_reconciliation/]
7. Order the outpatient clinic appointments and future blood tests your patient will need whilst they are in Wallaby Ward

If you have any questions, please call our Wallaby Ward team on x 54770.

Handy hints

• You only need to order heparin locks if the patient has a definitive line
• If you have ordered IV medications such as antibiotics, you always need to order adrenaline and saline
• You do not need to order oral medications which the family will self-administer: these are ordered in the Discharge medication tab
• The more information you put in your referral, the better the care your patient will receive
• Whilst receiving care in Wallaby Ward, medical review and decision making remains the responsibility of the patient’s bedcard team, unless the patient is transferred to the Wallaby bedcard

External overnight oximetry request form

All external referrals for overnight oximetry tests should use one of the below referral forms.

• External overnight oximetry form - electronic
• External overnight oximetry form - printable

Other care providers

If your patient is not eligible for the Wallaby Ward (or any other RCH@Home programs), there are other options for your patient to receive care once they have left the hospital.

Nurse-led clinic (The Royal Children's Hospital)

The Nurse-led clinic provides nursing care to a range of patients with various medical and surgical conditions. Shorter inpatient stays and increasing demands for all services hospital wide requires Specialist Clinics to manage many patients with higher acuity and complex care needs.

Nurse-led appointments are available Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm (excluding public holidays).  Appointments require negotiation to ensure convenience for families and appropriate staffing.

Referral:   Nurse-led Clinic Referral

Website:   Specialist Clinics

The Maternal and Child Health Services

This free service supports the patient's health and development from birth until school age. Click on Maternal and Child Health Services.

Finding your local GP

You may want to link your patient to their local GP. To find their nearest doctor, GP or medical centre, use the National Health Services Directory.