Delivering care closer to home for rural children with complex health needs

More than 80% of children with medical complexity referred for care coordination require complex care coordination among tertiary, local health district and primary care. The cost of uncoordinated care is estimated to be up to 35% higher than that of coordinated care. Paediatric care coordination is essential to delivering fair access to care for children with medical complexity and their families in rural NSW.

The Rural Kids Guided Personalised Service (RuralKidsGPS) is an integrated model of care coordination for children and young people living with medical complexity living in rural regions in NSW.

RuralKidsGPS was piloted for 2 years and has improved access to care, reduced frequent trips to hospital, and enhanced quality of life for children and their families in rural regions.

The initiative was led through the Population Child Health Research team at Kids Research in collaboration with the University of NSW. It was kindly supported by NSW Health and Medical Research Office...

The impact of prenatal drug exposure and out-of-home care on children’s school performance

Prenatal drug exposure (PDE) is a global public health problem that is strongly associated with the need for child protection services, including placement into out-of-home care (OOHC).

Researchers conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study that assessed school outcomes of children with PDE and OOHC. The study showed that children with PDE have poor school performance regardless of OOHC status, underscoring the need for long-term, culturally sensitive, and proactive support for all children with PDE to improve school performance, and in-extension, life success.

The research was led by Dr Hannah Uebel, Child Protection Fellow at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, and published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal.