Allied Health services hub opens at Morayfield

A new Allied Health Hub at Morayfield is the realisation of a vision to bring together a range of health services in one location with a focus on co-ordinated and integrated patient care.

The clinic, which is on level one of the Health Hub Doctors Morayfield at 19-31 Dickson Rd, started providing services in September.

Since then, more practitioners have joined the team and services have expanded to include physiotherapy, exercise physiology, dietetics, speech pathology, occupational therapy, podiatry, diabetes educators and psychology. An official opening will be held on February 22.

The clinic is the combined vision of Practice Manager Deb Constance, and Directors Dr Evan W.L. Jones and Tim Bradford.

Mrs Constance took the concept to a Techstars Startup Weekend in 2022, and was later interviewed for the Morayfield clinic’s Practice Manager role.

When she shared her vision with Dr Jones and Mr Bradford, it was precisely what they had in mind.

Their philosophy is to ‘put the patient at the centre of care’.

“It means for a particular condition, you might require a number of modalities so for example you might require a podiatrist, a physiotherapist, a exercise physiologist, a dietitian,” Dr Jones says.

“All of those can work together. We’re working on a combined database, so it means people are not having to repeat their stories.

“There’s so much need in the community, particularly around disability, but also other things like workplace accidents and illnesses and rehabilitation … also people who have chronic health problems and are requiring that integrated approach to their care.

“We wanted to be able to provide that fully integrated service for people.”

The hub also provides an opportunity for health professionals to work in the Morayfield area.

“That’s what Caboolture requires … more and more health services coming in to service this expanding population, which has great health needs.” Evan says.

“We’ve really been heartened by the response from the community. This has been a problem for many people, being able to access services.”

Room to grow

Across 550sqm, the clinic has 21 consulting rooms and a gymnasium. There is room to expand as needed.

“Our research indicates that some of our modalities like psychology and physiotherapy … it would be 12, 13 or 14 practitioners that we eventually need just to meet the demand in the area,” Mr Bradford says.

In addition to allied health services, the clinic works with a disability advocates charity which helps patients access the funding and care they need.

Dr Jones says many people had previously been denied access to the NDIS because they did not understand the framework.

“To have someone who supports you through that at no cost to the person who is applying to the NDIS and being able to manage their way through that … the outcomes are better for the client,” he says.

Patients can get a GP referral to services or they can refer themselves.

Dr Jones says the clinic is trying to remove barriers to care such as lack of services or long waiting lists, difficulty accessing the NDIS and cost.

“If you stick too many barriers in people’s way, they don’t get the care that they actually require. That’s a big problem for people in this region,” he says.

Group classes

The Allied Health Hub will run group classes with an exercise physiologist from next week.

They will include Mum and bub, prenatal, postnatal, balance and falls prevention, fun fitness, pilates and one-on-one reformer pilates.

See the timetable online. Bookings can be made via the website.

The cost is $15 per class. Private health fund rebates may be available.

Type 2 diabetes

An eight-week course for type 2 diabetics, which includes sessions with the exercise physiologist, dietitians and the diabetes educator will start soon.

It is funded through Medicare. Patients can register their interest now. They will need a GP referral.

To find out more about Allied Health Hub Morayfield, including what is covered by Medicare, visit the website or phone 07 2141 7848.

See more photos here

Photos by Dominika Lis