Future Health Tasmania Plan Announcement for Cystic Fibrosis
29/May/2007
A final document of the Tasmanian clinical services plan and official announcement was released by health minister Lara Giddings on May 24th, and it was all good news as far as CF services go.
The entire 180 page document can be downloaded from the internet by following these steps:
Go to www.health.tas.gov.au then under "The Agency" select "Future Health - Tasmania's Health Plan" then select "Clinical Services Plan" and then you will be able to download under the "Supporting Documents" heading "Clinical Services Plan - May 2007 (PDF - 2MB)"
This is a fantastic outcome for CF services in Tasmania, and one that we cannot wait to see to be put into action.
Page 110 section 8.2.6:
Cystic Fibrosis (adult and paediatric)
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a complex multi-system genetic disease that principally affects the lungs and digestive system.
The prevalence of CF in the Tasmanian population is reported to be high in comparison with other Australian States and Territories. The 2003 Annual Report from the Australian CF Data Registry conrms that a high proportion of Tasmanians with CF have a sibling with cystic brosis in comparison to all other States and Territories. This is a troubling statistic and conrms representations made by respiratory physicians that genetic counselling for CF families needs to be increased in Tasmania.
There is clear evidence that high quality treatment can improve the quality and length of life of people who suffer from CF. The United Kingdom.s CF Trust has published standards for CF care which include standards for clinical teams in specialist centres. Generally, specialist teams treat either adults or children, and a patient population of at least 100 per specialist team is required for optimal care.
It is estimated that approximately 50 Tasmanian adults and 50 Tasmanian children have CF.
A specialist adult CF service was established in 2006 but there are concerns that there are insufcient multidisciplinary resources to provide effective care across the State. Paediatric care is provided through general paediatricians with support from visiting specialists from the Royal Children.s Hospital.
A paediatrician to be appointed at the RHH in the future is expected to provide signicant support to the state-wide paediatric CF service.
It is clear that CF patients benet from specialist multidisciplinary team care and it is highly likely that there will be both quality and system-wide cost benets if preventive care can be improved. Although adult and paediatric CF multidisciplinary teams traditionally operate with separate clinical infrastructure, the relatively small Tasmanian CF patient population may necessitate reconsideration of this model. One alternative that has been suggested is that the specialist adult and paediatric CF services based at the RHH are supported by dedicated allied health professionals who work with both adult and paediatric patient groups.
The RHH should continue to provide a state-wide service for both paediatric and adult CF patients. There should be a signicant outreach element to these services and they will need to be structured and funded accordingly. The composition of the team should comply with internationally accepted standards, and the potential to identify allied health members of the multidisciplinary team to provide both paediatric and adult services should be explored.
