Our Service
The RHH Renal unit is based in Hobart and surrounds. We provide renal services to
people with acute, chronic and end stage kidney disease in southern Tasmania.
We deliver acute and chronic renal services, (haemodialysis, home therapies
(peritoneal dialysis and home haemodialysis, transplant work up and follow up as
well as chronic kidney disease coordination/education)
We have renal clinics for transplant, pre dialysis and dialysis patients.
Our Acute unit is located in the heart of the city within the Royal Hobart Hospital
and is ideally located for lunching in the city or a wander down to Salamanca for
after work entertainment.
The outpatient facility is located in beautiful tranquil surrounds at the St Johns Park
site, with stunning views to the iconic Mount Wellington from one side of the
building and views to the River Derwent and Mount Direction from the other.
We use Gambro haemodialysis machines and Baxter and Fresenius Peritoneal
Dialysis Machines.
We also perform plasma exchange therapies using the Gambro Prismaflex.
Our People
Our people are our most important asset and we have a shared future direction and
values.
We uphold and strive to achieve quality care, respect and dignity, teamwork and
education and development.
We deliver care within a multidisciplinary framework by our expert team which
consists of;
4 Nephrologists, Medical Registrar and Medical Resident
Nursing staff including Nurse Unit Manager, Vascular Access Nurse, Clinical Nurse
Educator, Research and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Educator.
Allied Health – Dietitian, Social Worker and Renal Pharmacist.
Support Staff – Ward Clerk/Admin staff, Hospital Aides, Cleaning Staff.
Our Training Opportunities
We provide various training opportunities within the unit and are dedicated to
professional development of staff.
Nursing
Highly regarded Student nurse placement programme
Graduate Nurse Positions
UTAS post grad renal nursing course (fully funded)
Medical
Royal College of Australian Physicians (RACP) accredited basic and advanced
physician trainees.
Medical student placements
We have a dedicated supportive Clinical Nurse Educator who assists with staff
education.
Staff are positively encouraged to engage in professional development opportunities.
We have a commitment to support our staff both financially and time wise to attend
conferences, seminars, day courses, workshops and to enrol in training
opportunities.
We believe that supporting our team is vital to ensure job satisfaction and improve
patient outcomes.
Quality Improvement activities and research are ongoing within our unit.
Our Models of Care
We aim to follow our patient’s journey through kidney disease to provide the best
evidence based treatment and patient centred care.
CKD patient’s stage 3 and 4 are followed up our nephrologists and referred to our
CKD educator for education on treatment options and vascular access prior to stage
5.
Patients choosing a symptom management pathway are followed by their GP. Those
choosing renal replacement therapy either enter our dialysis programme or are
worked up and transplanted pre dialysis.
All transplants are performed in Melbourne but are coordinated from Hobart with
both work up and follow up attended by our team. Options for transplant patients
are now increased with cadaveric, living donor and paired exchange transplants now
available.
We actively promote a home therapies programme (Home Haemodialysis and
Peritoneal Dialysis) to encourage self management of care in our patients and will
soon be opening a new home therapies training centre to enable more training to
occur.
We have an acute unit and outpatient facility with safe staffing ratios
Our Achievements
Our staff present regularly at conferences with 3 staff having poster presentations
accepted. Many of them have also been published in journals and communiqués.
We are included in a CARI implementation project looking at improving prophylactic
antibiotic use to prevent infections in new peritoneal dialysis patients in Australasia.
We have received a grant to undertake some research looking at outcomes for our
home dialysis patients and currently have developed a program to support our home
dialysis patients with cooking classes and yoga etc to benefit their social and physical
well being. This innovative approach will be put forward for innovative practice
awards in 2012.
Staff and patient feedback is important to improve our service and yearly satisfaction
surveys are attended.
Please apply online at www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/drs_in_training
For further information on the application process please contact:
Stafflink
Royal Hobart Hospital
Ph: (03)6222 6784