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Allied Health Services

All Allied Health Services require the client to either attend school, preschool or reside in the Hawkesbury LGA to be eligible for services. As these services are free to the community, demand can be high and as a result waiting lists will apply with all services applying a clinical priority urgency level. Other department specific eligibility limits may apply. To make a referral to any of these services contact Hawkesbury Community Health on 4560 5714 Monday - Friday.

Speech Pathology

The Speech Pathology department provides outpatient services to children aged 0 – 12 years (not at high school). The service includes assessment and intervention for children with expressive language, receptive language, articulation/speech, fluency, voice and/or feeding difficulties.

The service also provides assessment and management of inpatients referred by the medical team in the hospital, however no adult outpatient services are provided.

Paediatric Occupational Therapy

Referral to O.T. may be appropriate where preschool or school age children are suspected of having difficulties with motor development (particularly fine motor and eye hand coordination), self care and/or play abilities.

Families are initially offered a formal assessment of the child's abilities with the possibility of further therapy sessions, as well as providing advice about appropriate activities for home, preschool/ school environments and related resources/ services that may be of assistance.

Adult Occupational Therapy

The adult OT at HDHS provides assessment and intervention for inpatients at HDHS that have been referred by the medical officer or discharge planner. The OT can advise on ways to manage activities of daily living, such as showering, dressing, meal preparation and general mobility. After a patient has been discharged from hospital they may receive some follow up from the OT at home to ensure patient safety.

Podiatry

The podiatry service aims to prevent limb threatening foot pathologies and promote "the foot health message" across the community.

Our service covers the following needs:

Dietetics

Outpatient Dietetic services are available for children and adults referred by their GP or other Health Professional. The following conditions are managed:

Adults requiring assistance with weight loss or managing cardiac risk factors will be directed to appropriate group programs depending on availability.

The Dietitian also provides assessment and management of inpatients referred by the medical team.

Child Health Medical Officer

The CHMO provides developmental screening and assessment for children under the age of 16 that have displayed difficulty with general milestone development, behaviour and/or growth.

Following assessment and diagnosis the CHMO will liaise with other agencies as required to refer children to appropriate services and support networks.

Transitional Aged Care Program

This program is available for clients following a hospital admission and assessment from the Aged Care Assessment Team. Entry to the program directly from the community is not possible.

The program provides therapeutic support for aged and frail clients living at home to ensure the recovery from their hospitalisation is maximised.

Clients receive therapy programs from physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and community care assistants help with personal care and domestic chores. Most clients receive the program for 6 – 8 weeks.

Physiotherapy

The physiotherapy department provides a wide range of outpatient services including: orthopaedic rehabilitation, plastering and casting, musculoskeletal physiotherapy, cardiac exercise and specialised paediatric physiotherapy. Physiotherapy assessment and treatment are also provided to inpatients on referral from the hospital's medical team.

Telephone: (02) 4560 5555