Child and Adolescent Hospital in the Home is a hospital replacement service that allows your child to receive hospital level care at home instead of on a hospital ward.

About this service

Your child might be admitted to CA-HITH if they are medically stable enough to be treated at home but need medical, nursing or allied health care that is more intensive and/or specialised than could be supported by an outpatient clinic, community nursing or general practitioner.

Examples include a requirement for:

• ongoing parenteral therapy such as:
  • intravenous (IV) antibiotics or other IV medications
  • IV fluids
  • parenteral nutrition (PN)
• subcutaneous injections
• intensive observation which can be provided at home once to twice daily with measurement of vital signs and assessment of pain scores.
• overnight oximetry.

Who we care for

We care for eligible children and adolescents who:

• Have a diagnosis which cannot be treated by existing services in the community (such as your GP and community nurses or an outpatient clinic) because it requires more specialized or complex care.
• Have a diagnosis that can be practically and safely treated at home.
• Are medically stable. This means they have a safe pulse rate, blood pressure, breathing rate and oxygen levels. Exceptions apply for people in palliative care.
• Live within the ACT or Queanbeyan and surrounding areas and have a home that is clean and safe for the nurse to visit.
• Be able to care for yourself or have a friend or family member who can care for you.
• Have transport available to visit the hospital as required.
• Have reliable telephone access.

How to access this service

Your child can be referred to the Child and Adolescent Hospital in the Home Program in the following ways:

• If they are an inpatient, their ward doctor may refer them to us.
• If they are a patient at an outpatient clinic or the emergency department, their treating doctor can refer them.

What to expect

When your child is referred to us, we will check whether they are suitable for the program. We will explain how our service works.

If your child is suited to Hospital in the Home, we’ll start their initial treatment at the hospital. This may involve running any necessary tests.

Once you are admitted to our program, we’ll let you know when the nurse will visit you at home. The nurse will communicate regularly with your child’s treating medical team. The nurse will monitor your child closely and intervene promptly if there are any complications.

You may still need to bring your child to hospital for doctor reviews. The timing and frequency of these reviews will depend on your child’s condition.

If your child is not suitable for our program, we will contact another service to provide appropriate care for them. We’ll let your referring doctor/nurse know.

What to bring

• Medicare Card or ACT Services Card
• Any letters or correspondence from your GP
• Health Care Card and/or Concession Card
• Private Health Insurance Card (if applicable/if you want to use it)
• Medicines you need to take while you are here
• List of medicines you are currently taking (or the boxes), including medicines you bought without a prescription, such as herbal supplements and vitamins
• Previous x-ray films, scans, ultrasounds or any other test results or reports

Where we're located

We provide care in your home, but our clinic is located within the Child and Adolescent Short Stay unit in the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, Building 11, Level 1.

You enter the clinic through the link corridor located in the Paediatric Outpatient Department.

We have directions to Centenary Hospital for Women and Children and Canberra Hospital.